From The Ashes of Avalon
by TP Low
Summary: SG1/SGA - An IOA visit uncovers a Gate reading that leads to the most deadly enemy Earth has ever seen. As Daniel Jackson and SG1 seek to uncover the mystery of this foe, the Atlantis team are drawn to a city more lost than their own. D/V
1. Chapter 1

**11 Million Years Ago**

Avalon was burning. Fires raged mercilessly across the surface of the planet, forests were burnt to cinders, buildings plumed toxic smoke that covered the sky, blotting out the sun and plunging everything into oppressive darkness.

Only one outpost remained, the others were buried under the flames and ash, and as if that fact was not soul destroying enough, the last few Alterans still occupying the outpost could see the impressive star drive of Atlantis from the domed control centre viewpoint as it raced from the blazing galactic fireball. Truly, it didn't make much difference to those that saw, the men and women were dead anyway - struck down by a plague so devastating the almighty Alterans were fleeing an entire galaxy to escape it.

But there was the contingency plan, and it was one that Hryna Ulesk was tasked with carrying out. He tried to blot out the devastation around him and focus solely on the workstation before him that linked him to the galaxy seeding device - named Redemption by his people - housed thousands of light years away. Ignoring the ache that seemed to be burrowed all the way through him since contracting the plague, Hryna waited.

In only a few moments a beep came from behind him, indicating that Atlantis had successfully opened a hyperspace window. He waited a few moments more, although time was of the essence he didn't want to doom the remainders of his race to the same fate he faced. While they travelled in hyperspace Redemption would not affect the city ship or it's inhabitants, detached as they were from space-time, but if something were to interrupt their journey...

He pushed the thought away, Atlantis' journey had been plotted to perfection over weeks by leading astro-navigators and he couldn't afford to hesitate any longer, he already felt the heat in the control centre rising. As he was about to initiate Redemption a wave of nausea came over him and he bent over double in his chair, the plague was reaching out to claim his life even now, after it had wrought such destruction in the years leading to this moment.

Losing balance, he fell from the chair and writhed in pain on the floor. Although unaware, Hryna must have cried out because another of the doomed Alterans - a young woman named Evyra - approached his station.

'You must initiate Redemption.' He urged, his voice sounded weaker than he had realised and when the woman stopped just short of where he sat, Hryna assumed she didn't hear him. He repeated the order as loud as he could while trying to drag himself up. When Evyra still didn't move, Hryna used the last of his ebbing strength to clamber back into the chair.

When his eyes fell upon her cold dread gripped him despite the rising heat of the air. She was smiling; a cruel and wicked smile he had only heard about in rumours, stories of the plagues true purpose. Veins turned black protruded her skin, she looked demonic - it was the most frightening thing that Hryna had ever seen.

The Infinite Beast was supposed to be a legend, a story cooked up to frighten children, enhanced by some primitive fear of the unknown that existed even within the heart of a race as old and advanced as the Alterans. But here it stood before him, exactly as described; not locked away as the stories told, but wreaking its terrible havoc.

'It is over.' The smile vanished when she spoke, replaced with a sneer. 'Your Redemption will bring about my Retribution, infant. I will protect this shell through the seeding, hide in this body until it feels the suns rays again. Then the vessel your people sealed away will rise. I will destroy everything you create, even if I have to wait a millennia.'

'Why?' Hryna croaked, his eyes roving the room, only to find the other two members of his staff lying on the floor in the throes of agony as he had been. 'What have we ever done to you?'

'You exist.' The possessed woman reached out to grab him but Hryna was quick enough to slam his palm on the pad that served as the activation signal for Redemption, simultaneously opening every Stargate in the galaxy and causing the controls hidden deep inside the abandoned temple that housed Redemption to automatically align themselves.

Moments after the woman was upon him, tearing at his flesh even as the blue energy swathed past them, creating a blank slate over the top of a disease ridden galaxy, so that life could begin anew.

His last thoughts were of her words, that this terror would awaken once again and plunge the galaxy into darkness with no end. He prayed for the race that would face this unimaginable horror, and hoped with everything he had left that they would survive.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 1**

**Present Day**

Civilians bustling around Stargate Command was neither a regular or welcome thing, especially when they all wore badges marked IOA and busied themselves taking audits, checking regulations and handing around enormous amounts of paperwork. But for Daniel Jackson it provided a window. With all Gate activities suspended during the visit he had holed himself up in his office, working on translations and research papers that had been left on near permanent hold for years.

But as comfortable he felt surrounded by his books and shuttered away a profound sense of uselessness overwhelmed him. It had barely been two years since first contact with the Ori and he felt duty bound - as the person who alerted them to a human presence outside of their own galaxy - to be out amongst the stars and loosening the Ori grip with all the powers at his disposal.

He dropped the book he'd been examining and it impacted against his cluttered desk with a resounding thud. Exhaustion weighed on him heavily and he thought back through the past few months, trying to figure out the last time he had slept for a full night since returning to the SGC with the _Odyssey_. The answer wasn't exactly promising, especially considering he hadn't left the base more than twice in that time.

Like never before in his life Daniel felt defeated. Sure, there had been times when everything looked bleak before but he had always held onto hope that all of their enemies could be overcome. With the Ori it was different - there had been no real victories, only countless losses as more and more of the galaxy fell under the thrall of the Priors or were wiped from existence entirely. In the early morning hours when sleep evaded him all he had were hazy waking nightmares that followed the Path of Origin from where it began to where it ended; with the utter annihilation of free will in the galaxy and a cloud cast over its occupants darker than anything he had ever witnessed.

These thoughts spiraled through him until he could take it no longer, and he pulled himself from his chair, maybe a short walk could clear his head of the depression that seemed to relentlessly tear at his conscious mind. He tried not to sarcastically admonish himself; realising he'd attempted the same thing dozens of times before to no effect.

As he moved across his office towards the door he caught sight of the clock on the wall, only half surprised that it was now morning - the last time he had noted the time it had been the afternoon - and realising that he was in danger of running late for a budget meeting with Woolsey and his IOA cronies. He cursed at the thought of enduring the endless debate and recommended budget cuts in his current state but moved towards the door anyway, at the very least it would give him something to focus on.

Once out of his office he walked towards the elevator at the end of the hall and passed on half-hearted pleasantries to airmen and civilians as he went. When he was a few feet away a raven haired woman slipped quickly into the elevator and pressed the floor button. Daniel sped up to catch it but the doors began to close immediately and by the time he reached it he couldn't fit through. He did, however, manage to see Vala's grin and teasing wave before the elevator doors closed completely.

He cursed her in several long dead languages and waited in front of the elevator with a resigned sigh. Lack of sleep had all but driven away his patience but Vala seemed to take it upon herself to test it to the very limits. He often found himself wondering how he had survived an entire lifetime on the _Odyssey _with Vala's constant teasing. Teal'c hadn't given much away but had left Daniel to believe he'd discovered some method of endurance.

The elevator doors opened after a short while and Daniel stepped inside. He selected the briefing room floor and as the car began its steady journey down he began thinking about counter arguments to what he believed the IOA would complain about. He didn't feel ready at all when the doors opened again but pressed forwards anyway, arriving at the briefing room after a short walk.

'Daniel, you're late.' Vala mockingly reprimanded, a smirk threatening to break out at the side of her lips. Daniel fixed her with a stony glare that, despite his intentions, brought her smile to full bloom and apologised - to everyone in the room except Vala - for his lateness.

He examined the people sitting around the table as he sat down, General Landry took up the head of the table, with Woolsey and two other suited men on the left. SG-1 were position to his right, and Daniel felt Samantha Carter's absence strongly. She had left not long after the _Odyssey_ incident to take up the position as Atlantis administrator, and he knew he could have used her support for this meeting.

'That's quite alright Dr. Jackson.' Landry spoke up before Woolsey had a chance, but Daniel had the feeling he would have shared an opposite sentiment. 'Now you're here we can begin.'

'Good.' Woolsey spoke sharply and handed out manila folders to the people gathered around the table. 'I'd like to make a start with an overwhelming concern that has always remained prominent throughout the Stargate Program's existence; that being the usage of power for every single Gate activation. We are constantly draining reserved power, and sometimes-'

'The power issue is already being addressed by the UN,' Daniel argued, smiled inwardly at Woolsey's uncomfortable grimace - the man had tried to have him killed not that long ago after all. 'Massive solar panels are being erected across the Sahara Desert, and we've already been promised at least thirteen percent of that power as Stargate priority, that should solve all of the blackouts the Gate causes.'

'That program will take years to complete,' Woolsey retorted 'What we need is a solution nearer to present time. The losses of power across this state alone are getting harder and harder to explain as the years go by-'

'What are you suggesting, exactly?' Mitchell spoke up as he played idly with the pencil in front of him, not even looking up at the lawyer.

'Well, for starters-'

'Mr Woolsey,' A quiet voice interrupted, coming from a man in his mid-thirties that approached the table with an apologetic look on his face. 'I'm sorry sir but the technicians have found a strange reading on one of the Gate diagnostics from four years ago that we were reviewing.'

Four years ago, the year that Daniel spent on a higher plain of existence. The memory, or lack thereof nearly made him shiver. He buried the thoughts, he had given up on ever truly remembering what had happened to him long ago, but whenever the time was mentioned the same thoughts resurfaced, what had he learned on the higher plane? Who did he meet? Why did the Alterans that did ascend refuse to interfere with any of the events below them, even as the Ori gained more and more power?

'A strange reading?' Vala asked, cutting through Daniel's reverie 'What do you mean?'

'If you'll come with me, I can show you.' Mitchell looked at General Landry nearly begging to be excused from what he obviously saw as a pointless meeting.

'Go ahead.' Landry consented with a curt nod, his voice not betraying the anxiety Daniel saw in his eyes. Mitchell clearly didn't need to be told twice and stood, followed quickly by Vala and Teal'c. Daniel waited for a moment - guessing that somebody needed to stay to defend the SGC against the IOA but when Woolsey started collecting his things to follow he got up from the chair and followed behind the group.

* * *

'I can't believe we missed it.' Dr. Lee was checking the readings on his computer screen continuously with hand written notes laid out on the desk. Daniel could empathise with his high stress levels, imagining what he himself would feel like if he translated something inaccurately, especially during an audit. Eventually he stopped the checks and after sighing heavily addressed the group in the lab. 'The readings here don't lie but the energy burst was so incredibly subtle it was barely noticeable. Still, we should have picked up on it much earlier.'

'The IOA have also looked through the logs on numerous occasions.' Teal'c rationalised, much to Daniel's surprise, and Dr. Lee visibly relaxed a little. 'Is it not true that the sensors have improved since the last time this data was analysed.'

'That's true,' Dr. Lee nodded emphatically 'thanks largely to the Asgard technology implemented here based on the _Odyssey's _new systems.'

'So what have we got?' Mitchell asked.

'A spike in the Gates power, but with no visible sign of an outside power source being used, as if the Gate turned itself on for a millisecond by it's own volition.' Dr. Lee explained as he resumed his numerous checks.

'By itself?' Daniel's tone was more disbelieving than he had intended but the thought of a Gate turning itself on without being activated from the Earth end or another planet was unlikely, but he had to remind himself of how many impossible situations he had seen over the years and even theorised for himself. He decided to take a different tact. 'When did this happen?'

'June 22nd, 2002.' Dr. Lee replied curtly.

'The day you guys found that frozen Ancient.' Mitchell mused, causing Daniel and Vala to stare incredulously at the Colonel; while Teal'c raised a bemused eyebrow in his direction.

'You knew that off the top of your head?' Daniel asked, not sure if he was impressed or unnerved.

'I told you I read all of the mission reports before starting this assignment.'

'Yeah, I just didn't expect you to remember them all with pinpoint accuracy.' Daniel replied.

'I really wanted this job.' Mitchell replied matter-of-factly with a shrug. Daniel opened his mouth to say something else, but thought better of it and turned back to Dr. Lee.

'Can you bring up the video feed of the Gate at the moment of the spike?' Daniel positioned himself behind the doctors chair as he slipped in the appropriate memory card, feeling the other SG1 members follow his lead.

They watched a few seconds of the scene they had all seen a thousand times of the Gate room, the centre focus being the Stargate itself. When nothing happened Dr. Lee clicked his tongue in irritation and reached for the card drive. He paused as Vala laid a hand on his shoulder.

'Wait, run it again but slow it down.' Dr. Lee shrugged but complied and seconds later they were watching the footage again, but now the timer in the bottom left of the screen was moving several times slower. When the timer reached the exact point of the spike, something inexplicable happened. A wormhole opened and closed, within the space of a millisecond, no spinning of the rings and no event horizon pluming out like a wave. It shouldn't have been possible at all, as Dr. Lee was vehemently trying to convince himself but after watching it happen several more times, Daniel had to admit it was looking very possible indeed.

'Do you see that?' Mitchell asked, pointing at the screen.

'Yes genius, it's the Stargate opening.' Vala replied with venom.

'No, there's something going through it, there.' Mitchell paused the feed and pointed at the Gate the moment it opened. Daniel squinted at the place he was pointing.

'It appears to be a gas of some kind.' Teal'c observed.

'That's not a gas,' Daniel had noticed something familiar about the wisp of dark smoke barely visible leaving through the Gate. That recognition sent a chill down his spine and he hoped to god he was wrong. 'Can you play the footage so it enhances energy signatures?'

'Sure, wait just a sec.' Dr. Lee tapped a few buttons and the image on the screen changed to show colours, the room was mostly dark, but the gate shone a brilliant white, contrasting the wisp of energy Mitchell had noticed. It was silhouetted against the white back drop so clearly, a ball of energy circular in the centre with branches shooting out to each side. Daniel knew the shape well, at one point in his life he had looked like that himself.

'It's an ascended being.' Daniel concluded, there was no mistaking it, but what was strange in this case was that the energy was black, contrasting with the gate behind it, he'd never seen anything like it.

'So what?' Mitchell spoke up, sound uninterested 'The Ancient lady moved up to the higher plane, a few years ago I might have had more to say on the subject but now, it's water under the bridge right? I mean you were ascended at one point Jackson.'

'But Daniel Jackson's appearance was very different.' Teal'c noted.

'Exactly. Plus the fact that from what I was told the Ancient's body didn't disappear when she died.'

'That was the case.' Teal'c agreed and then turned to the scientist. 'Dr. Lee, is it possible to track the energy to it's origin?'

'Of course.' Dr. Lee replied and hastily tapped on some buttons on his computer, the images flipped up, heading away from the Gate room until they reached the room where Ayiana had died, the energy moved towards her and seemed to melt into her body the moment she fell.

'What the hell is that if it's not ascension?' No one had an answer for Mitchell, and the group stood in silence for a few moments before Daniel broke it, surfacing a question that must have been going through all of their minds.

'Can we find out the destination of the wormhole?'

Dr. Lee tapped a few buttons on the keyboard. 'There's no record of the activation in the log,' he turned and shrugged to the group 'I'm sorry but my guess is the only people with even a slight chance of working that kind of mojo on the dialing computer are both about seven million light years away.'

'Sam.' Mitchell guessed.

'Yep, and Dr. Rodney McKay.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

'Aw crap.' Lieutenant Colonel Shepherd dropped his expended P90 and fired over the fallen tree he'd taken for cover with his pistol. One of his Wraith pursuers went down hard and that only left about twenty still to take out. A few feet away Ronon fired with his own weapon, downing two more while Rodney fired haphazardly from next to Shepherd; getting in a lucky strike to a Wraith's kneecap.

'I'm gonna kill Zelenka!' McKay shouted, and Shepherd found himself agreeing with the sentiment, the Czech scientist had found this address in a database back at Atlantis - Shepherd hadn't really been listening to the techno babble but it had something to do with the Gate's memory being uploaded into an external drive - and when Shepherd and his team came to investigate they didn't find a horde of Ancient technology and wisdom they had hoped for but a Wraith controlled planet.

'Keep falling back to the Gate!' Shepherd shouted over the gunfire, bringing his mind back to the present. He moved to find some cover behind him, opting for a slight rise in the moss covered ground. McKay was right behind him all of the way, but Ronon stayed back for as long as he could, taking out another three Wraith before he came to join his team mates.

Sizzling bolts of deadly energy soared over his head and he risked a look; firing off three more shots and taking down two more of the masked warriors. Behind him the Gate lay about thirty feet away; not a great distance until a bunch of life-sucking insects were hell-bent on serving you up as a light brunch. Seeing precious little options, Shepherd grabbed McKay by the shoulder and pulled him up and away from their pursuers, firing blindly behind him as they went to put the Wraith off their aim. He saw Ronon following his lead out of the corner of his eye, so far unscathed but against great odds.

'McKay, dial the Gate!' Shepherd was grateful when the scientist didn't argue, moving off towards the DHD and he called to Ronon to lay down cover fire. With all three of their prey split up, the Wraith fire was unfocused and it gave Shepherd the opening he need to pull a grenade from his utilities belt, pull the pin and hurl it in the direction the Wraith weapons fire was emanating from.

The resulting detonation set his teeth on edge but he didn't let it slow him down. 'Ronon, let's move!' He heard the Satedan discharge a few more shots towards the smoke now pluming from the burnt ground before breaking into a sprint alongside Shepherd towards the Gate. As they approached, the blue shimmering wormhole was already active and McKay stood by it, urging them on and letting off a few shots for cover.

Shepherd heard the Wraith resume their onslaught as they neared the Gate, energy flying passed them once more. He didn't bother to return fire, when the rest of his team were through the Gate he dived in himself to the relative safety of his body being broken down into energy and fired across the galaxy at impossible speeds.

Shepherd rematerialised in mid-dive. He skidded across the polished floor of Atlantis and shouted for the Gate tech to raise the force field. Once that was done he picked himself up off the floor and watched the Wraith's attacks hit the barrier harmlessly followed by several thumps of Wraith themselves smashing against the energy field.

'Well, that's three more to the bug zapper,' he muttered and then signalled the Gate tech 'shut her down.' The wormhole disappeared at his order, and he looked over at his team, relieved that neither of them seemed injured beyond a few scrapes and bruises as they too got up from the floor.

'What happened out there?' Samantha Carter strode down the wide steps that led to Shepherd's team with Teyla close behind. Concern etched their features and Shepherd moved to meet them with Ronon and McKay in tow, they met on the lowest step and Sam held her arm out, indicating for them to walk beside her.

'First of all, no Ancient treasures.' Shepherd explained as they walked 'The planet turned out to be Wraith controlled.'

'My guess is that our good friend Zelenka found an address from around the time of the Lantian's war with the Wraith.' McKay chimed in bitterly.

Sam turned to look at him, sceptical. 'There's no way he - or anyone - could have known McKay.'

'I know, I know.' McKay mumbled, and Shepherd didn't think he looked like he meant it.

'Given this information, will we still search the addresses on the hub?' Teyla asked.

'I think we have to. I doubt all of the addresses will lead to hostile worlds and I'm sure some of them will be incredibly useful. What we do need to do is be more careful next time.' Sam answered, and Shepherd had to agree.

'Sooner or later we'll find something the Ancients left behind.' He offered. 'Hopefully, a Wraith stomping something.'

'Well, whatever the case I think it'll be worth putting a permanent black mark next to that address,' Sam said as they reached the changing rooms 'I'll have Zelenka continue searching through the hub for other worlds that don't match our database.'

'I am glad you are all safe.' Teyla said before she and Sam headed back the way towards the Gate room.

'Great,' McKay's tone was sarcastic. 'my life is in Zelenka's hands.'

'At least we killed some Wraith.' Ronon said as he stepped through the door.

'Well, every cloud.' Shepherd muttered in reply and followed him through.

* * *

Sam sat down at her desk, even after a few months in Atlantis she still felt uncomfortable with being surrounded by administrative duties and heavy loads of paperwork instead of breakneck science on the front line. Still she was adjusting fast and performing those duties in a The once Lost City of the Ancients certainly helped. Even deferring to McKay was getting easier, it turned out he'd grown a lot in six years.

Sure she missed home and her team mates but she believed in the work at Atlantis, in discovering all of the hidden facets of technology that could be used to free both the people of the Pegasus Galaxy from Teal'c, Mitchell and Vala would continue the fight back home with everything they had.

'Colonel Carter.' A voice sounded in her ear, she tapped her headset.

'Carter here.' She responded, wondering what would draw her attention.

'We've just received a priority encoded transmission addressed to you from the SGC Colonel.' The voice replied. 'If you want I can patch it through to your desktop computer.'

'Go ahead.' Sam wondered what the message could be about. She'd received several similar reports since taking over Atlantis and they were rarely good news, the most recent being a communiqué informing Shepherd of his fathers death. As the data uploaded she worried that something may have happened to one of her team mates, but knew it was for nothing. SG1 were currently grounded during

an audit of the SGC.

Her computer beeped as the message uploaded and she opened the file, it contained several data files and a link to a live video feed, she connected to the feed without hesitation. Cameron Mitchell's face came onto the screen, and Sam smiled when she noticed Vala in the background as well, waving to her manically.

'Hey Sam, hope all's well in the Paperwork galaxy,' Mitchell's teasing grin brought a smile to her lips 'we've got a little matter back here that could use your expertise.'

'Sure Cam, what's up?' Mitchell pointed off screen and the camera view jostled around, eventually focusing on Daniel. He gave her a reserved wave but a sincere smile, even as Vala sidestepped back into the view with a sign that read 'Hi Sam.'

'Hi Sam, it's good to see you.' Daniel said, and she noted how tired he looked.

'You too. What do you need?'

'Well, those files we sent you are abnormal readings the IOA uncovered from the Gate four years ago. We discovered that the Gate had been activated unnoticed by something that came from the Ancient you unthawed at Antarctica. There's a video attached you'll want to watch.' Sam opened the video file and as Daniel waited watched in the energy sensitive video mode as the black ball of energy moved from Ayiana's corpse and towards the Stargate, and the slowed down footage of the wormhole opening.

'That's impossible.' Sam said after reviewing the footage and turning back to Daniel, who was waiting patiently for her response. 'And what was with the black ascended being?'

'I'll be working on that from this end,' Daniel replied but he seemed as perplexed as she 'what we need is for you to somehow work out where that wormhole was headed. Dr. Lee assured us that all of the information you'll need is in the data file. Its everything short of the dialling computer itself.'

'I'll do my best.' she promised, her impressive mind already working on methods of extracting the outgoing destination of what should have been an impossible wormhole. 'Good luck on your end.'

Daniel nodded and the team said their goodbyes - Sam understood - with the IOA breathing down their neck it would be stupid to waste a resource like the intergalactic conversation they were currently holding through Midway station, even though she wanted nothing more than to talk with them for a little while longer. She could hear that they felt the same way.

'I'll contact you as soon as I figure this out,' she said, conveying a confidence she didn't quite feel, while getting a tingle of the old excitement of having a scientific problem to solve 'Carter out.'

She closed the connection and leaned back in her chair, feeling renewed at seeing SG1's familiar faces again, but didn't stay idle for long. With a deep breath she stared opening the files and accessing the information and taking it all in.

By the time she had gone through it all twice, she still wasn't sure how to decipher the destination of the wormhole and she tapped her radio.

'McKay, it's Sam.'

'Hey, what's up?'

She sighed, wondering when she'd hear the last of this. 'I need your help, meet me in my office ASAP.'

There was a slight pause, and Sam could almost hear his smug grin on the other end of the radio. 'I'll be right there.'

* * *

'So, what have you got?' Mitchell asked as he and Vala entered Daniel's office unannounced. Vala settled herself on top of Daniel's desk, covering half of the papers he was working on, while Mitchell took up a position by the door, leaning casually against the wall.

'A whole library of nothing.' He replied dejectedly, wishing that he had something better to report. Wishing harder that he wouldn't be distracted for long so he could carry on looking. As Mitchell talked about a few of the Gate techs compiling a list of worlds with known attachments to the Ancients to study further for answers, Daniel tried intently to prise some of his research from under Vala. His attempts halted when he realised two things; Vala was grinning down and him and just exactly where his eyes appeared to be staring.

'Like what you see?' She asked, cocking her eyebrow at him.

Daniel stood up and backed away, he hated it when she played with him. 'Look, I've got a lot of work here and you're not helping me finish it.'

'All work and no play makes Danny a dull boy.' Vala offered with a sultry smile, and Daniel looked away, noticing as he did the smirk on Mitchell's lips. For eight years all he'd had to worry about was a few sarcastic comments from Jack and a raised eyebrow from Teal'c, now with these two he had to put up with endless sessions of Daniel-baiting.

'We just wanted to see if we could help.' Mitchell said as he pushed off the wall and came closer.

'Read any Ancient lately?' Daniel relaxed his tone but not his sarcasm.

'I read Goa'uld.' Vala said hopefully, but Daniel's gaze shot her down. He sat down on his chair again and helplessly picked up the file he'd freed from under her and the title instantly caught his attention, his mind started whirring at possibilities he'd never considered before.

'What's up?' Mitchell asked, Daniel realised his revelation must have shown on his face because when he looked both Mitchell and Vala were staring at him expectantly.

'It could be nothing,' Daniel looked back down at the file, how had he not thought of this years ago 'but in the first year of the Stargate Program we came across a planet we designated P3X-972, where a man named Ernest was sent in 1945, the first man on Earth to step through the Stargate.'

'I know this one too,' Mitchell chimed in 'but the Gate wouldn't dial back to the planet after the building you were in was levelled.'

'Right, and we figured everything about the place was lost apart from a few notes and video footage I captured while we were there that got filed in Area 51.' As he spoke he began to become more and more sure that he was on the right path. That this was important.

'So?' Vala asked, looking bored.

'So, that planet contained a library of information gathered by all four of the most powerful races we've ever heard of; the Asgard, the Ancients, the Nox and the Furlings. If information on this entity that accessed the Gate four years ago is out there, I'm certain its on that planet.'

'But the Gate won't dial out, that's what Mitchell said, right?'

'Yes, and no - the Gate won't dial but we have other means of travel now, vessels at our disposal that can cover the distance, I can't believe it's taken me this long to think of it; you realise that there could be answers there to solve everything - this mystery, the Ori and maybe even the Wraith in the Pegasus Galaxy. This is the Holy Grail.'

Vala frowned. 'I thought that Sangraal was the Holy Grail?'

'No, a metaphorical Holy Grail.'

'Well why didn't you say that?' Daniel looked at Vala stonily, then turned to Mitchell, choosing to ignore her.

'What do you think?' He asked Mitchell.

'I like your plan Jackson,' Daniel guessed what was coming 'but I doubt the IOA or the Air Force will feel the same way. It's costs a lot to fly one of our birds into the big black and I don't think they'll jump to action on a whim, even if it's from you.'

'I can get us a ship.' Vala said, her playful manner was gone and she locked eyes with Daniel, he saw in her eyes that she wanted to help and he guessed it had something to do with what he had said about the Ori - they both shared the guilt of exposing the Milky Way to their dark forces. Instantly her teasing smile returned. 'But it'll cost you.'

'How do you plan to get a ship, exactly?' Mitchell sounded sceptical.

'Well -'

'Without stealing it.' Daniel added.

'Not even from the Lucian Alliance?' Vala asked sweetly.

'Actually, I think I'd be okay with that.'

'Me too.' Mitchell said.

'Good, then it's settled. There's a little planet on the fringes of the Felorian Cluster that they use as a refuelling station because of the potent naquadah content. Always plenty of ships there when I was… freelancing.

'Alright, I'll run it by General Landry and give you a call when I get the green light.' Mitchell said and headed towards the office door.

'Thanks.' Daniel called as he exited the office, acknowledging him with a wave. When he turned back Vala eye's were on him.

'Well, where's my thank you?' She asked.

'Thank you.' Daniel said and he meant it.

'I was thinking of something,' she paused, her manner suggestive, 'bigger.' Daniel pretended not to notice what she had said.

'Smaller, then?'

'Out.' He pointed at the door and with a winning smile spun on her heel and complied.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

McKay was exasperated. 'This doesn't make any sense.'

He and Sam had been poring over the data for several hours, but nothing fit. A wormhole activating without any power broke every law that McKay believed in. Sure it was possible that a natural event horizon could occur in space but it would most likely be incredibly unstable and definitely couldn't be opened at the whim of a living being.

'This is science fiction,' Sam was staring at her console but smirked a little 'are you sure this isn't a joke?'

'I'm pretty sure Rodney.'

He stared at the figures in front of him again, they showed a graph of the spike that had occurred on a minute scale in the SGC's Gate. Over the years he had managed to solve almost every scientific puzzle set before him, but as he ran simulation after simulation there was no correlation between the minimal power input and the Gate's instantaneous activation. He told Sam as much.

'Look, I once saw an Ancient build a working Stargate out of a few household appliances,' Sam told him, and he recalled reading about the encounter she'd had with Orlin 'we don't need to figure out how it was done, only where the wormhole was going.'

He didn't like it. 'Have you got anything?' He sounded snappier than he'd hoped.

She sighed and finally took her eyes of the screen. 'No.'

McKay felt a little sorry for her, he knew what it was like to have friends counting on you and not being able to help, he felt that way nearly every time an off world mission turned into a gun fight; as so often they did.

'Me either,' He realised she had probably figured that out already but said it anyway 'of all the Gate diagnostics I've run since coming to Atlantis-'

He stopped short, his mind tingling as a deep memory somehow surfaced, completely unbidden. All of the Gate diagnostics he had run in Atlantis, and he realised - impossibly - that he had in fact seen this data before.

'I've had a thought,' He said excitedly, and upon seeing this Sam came over to join him 'back when we first came to Atlantis and started setting up all of our systems to ride on top of the Ancient ones, we ran some checks on some of the mundane systems in the city - the ones we could grasp at the time. But we also checked the Gate.'

He swivelled his chair to face another work station to his left and tapped away impatiently, drawing up the file he was looking for. 'They were just basic checks, but we did find something odd on the Gate readings, only we thought nothing of it, the reading barely registered and we just wrote them off as malfunctions in the sensors after years of lying dormant.'

'What are you saying Rodney?'

He pushed the chair back to where he had started and uploaded the Atlantis Gate diagnostic to his original computer, then he opened both files together. As he had suspected, they were completely indistinguishable from each other - identical. Then he checked the time frames, barring a few seconds they too matched up and there was no doubt left in his mind.

'I'm saying that, whatever that thing was, it came here.' He turned to face Sam. 'It came to Atlantis.'

'So it's still here?' Sam asked, not liking the implication.

'I don't think so.' McKay replied as he sifted through some more of the old Gate readings. 'No, it moved on, there's another reading just after it - exactly the same as the others.' Sam was looking over his shoulder, her sigh told him she agreed with his assumption.

'So we're back to square one. We still don't have a way to find out the destination.'

'Not necessarily,' McKay's mind was literally racing now, but he still wasn't certain 'we know that a Stargate can hold memory in it's buffer for forty-eight hours, right?'

'Yeah.' He didn't miss the smile in Sam's eyes as he said that. After all he had opposed her theory all the way.

'The hub that Zelenka found counteracts that limitation, right? So if we can somehow find this anomalous wormhole activation on the system and reboot it into the Gate's internal buffer-'

'It'll create the same wormhole that was opened when the creature left here.' Sam finished for him, and his ego glowed at how impressed she sounded. 'Nice work McKay.'

'Thank you.' He allowed himself a self satisfied smile and sat back in the chair, another problem solved; but another one on the way. 'I'll get to work on the hub; do you know where Zelenka is?'

'He's researching one of the labs across the city, I was about to get him onto the hub anyway.'

'Well, he's spent a lot more time with it than I have, we'll need him up here.' McKay got up and headed towards the door, he paused just inside. 'And - you know - if we leave him down there he'll probably end up blowing something up.'

Sam chuckled. 'I'll put in the call.'

* * *

Mitchell stepped out of the Gate and scanned his surroundings, weapon raised. They'd arrived in a clearing amongst thick woodland, but he knew that much already from the MALP telemetry. Back at the SGC it hadn't taken much to convince Landry to green light this mission, the Ori were an ever increasing threat and until the Area 51 techs managed to find a way to use the Asgard systems without being detected they didn't have much to fight them with. Another ship in the Earth fleet helped sway the IOA.

There was also the question of Sam figuring out where the creature had gone after it left the SGC before he and his team returned, and if Mitchell knew Sam then she would. But Daniel had insisted on the importance of heading to the ancient meeting place for the four allied races and - if Mitchell knew Daniel - he wouldn't be swayed.

They had decided upon heading out and acting on any information Sam could give regarding the black ascended creature once they returned. Since it had been around for four years and never made it's presence known they decided a few more days wouldn't hurt.

He signalled with his hands and the team split off into two as discussed in the mission briefing, while he and Teal'c panned out right, Daniel and Vala went the other way. By travelling in pairs they lowered the risk of detection and increased their chances of a successful mission. Vala had told them the refuelling depot was only a short walk from the Gate, and they'd rendezvous there.

Teal'c moved slightly ahead of Mitchell and he let the ten year SGC veteran take the lead as they trod as softly as they could across the leave strewn ground. They'd made it a few hundred meters before Teal'c raised his hand and pointed his weapon ahead, Mitchell moved up next to the Jaffa and looked where he was aiming, seeing nothing. He wasn't about to question Teal'c so he held up his Zat and waited.

He heard them before he saw them, crunching footfalls barely ten meters away. When the pair of men came into view Teal'c and Mitchell fired almost simultaneously and their targets both fell to the ground unconscious. Mitchell took the lead and headed over to the prone forms, a quick search turned up several weapons that Mitchell duly confiscated. He looked back to Teal'c with a questioning gaze and his companion shook his head, he couldn't hear anymore guards.

As they moved on again the trees began to grow more sparse and Mitchell took that to mean they were nearing there destination. He was proved right a few moments later when the hull of a ship came into view. What surprised him was the design; pure white with a huge circle at the front.

'What the hell is an Ori ship doing here? He whispered to Teal'c as they both ducked down behind several supply crates near the parked ship.

'I do not know Colonel Mitchell.' Teal'c responded, looking thoughtful. 'It could be that they have overrun this facility to refuel their own ships.'

'No. The goons we zatted back there weren't Ori, they were Alliance.'

'Then it would be safe to assume the remnants of the Lucian Alliance have fallen before the Ori.'

'Yep, and it also means its going to one of those days.' Teal'c raised an eyebrow to Mitchell, then averted his gaze towards the woodland. Mitchell raised his weapon to the ready but lowered it when Vala and Daniel came out of the trees and moved quickly to join them.

'That's not exactly a sight for sore eyes.' Daniel commented darkly when he was kneeling beside them. Mitchell had to agree, the Ori ships were always an intimidating sight that nearly always meant something unpleasant was about to happen. He had to turn it into an advantage.

'That's the ship we're going to take.' He wasn't looking at his team but he could feel their incredulous stares on the back of his head as he stared out the ship. There was no activity near it and hadn't been since they had arrived which could very well mean that there was no crew aboard; he hoped. It was a long shot but life had again thrown he and his team a curve ball and he wasn't ready to strike out.

'Great plan,' Daniel was mocking him 'do we just ask to borrow it, or shall we shoot ourselves now and save the time and effort?'

'Listen, just think about it. The Ori have at least half a dozen ships out there, if we can take that one with us we not only take one of their own ships from the playing field, he add another for ourselves.' He could see the doubt on his team mates faces but this is what they did, fight the odds until something

gave.

'We have the control thingy that Sam created,' Vala's input was nonchalant, but Mitchell was glad for the back up 'we could fly it no problem.'

'Yes that's true, but I think getting to the command centre passed thousands of well armed Ori warriors will be a little more tricky.' Daniel argued. 'Even if most of them have left they wouldn't abandon the ship entirely.'

'I think it is worth the risk Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c showed his support as well, and Mitchell slapped him on the back.

'All right, I'll scout ahead and see what we've got in store for us inside.' He was up and moving before anyone could protest. Keeping low we skirted around the frontal ellipsis of the ship. When he passed the bulkhead he noticed something further in the distance and a foul smell hit his nostrils.

He approached with caution, the ship forgotten for the moment, and when he was close enough to see what he had smelt he instantly wished he wasn't. They were the bodies of Ori soldiers and crew, burnt and decaying and piled up by the hundreds.

Mitchell turned away. In service to the US Air Force he'd seen a lot of bodies and it never got any easier to deal with, especially a massacre of this magnitude - it looked as if the whole compliment of the Ori battleship was piled there. Eager to leave the sight of the corpses behind, he jogged at a steady pace back towards his team.

'What is wrong Colonel Mitchell?' Teal'c asked when he was back with them.

He found his voice again. 'I think I found the crew of that ship.' He spoke slowly. 'They've been burned, all of them. There's a pile of bodies on the other side of the ship, and it may have been there a while judging by the smell.'

'Burnt? By whom?' Daniel asked, his outrage evident at the news.

'I'm not sure.' Mitchell, in truth, didn't want to know 'But it leaves us with a window of opportunity to take that ship without any resistance - I suggest we use it.'

'Indeed.'

Vala and Daniel also gave their confirmation and with the decision made they moved off as one towards the ship, and Mitchell couldn't shake the feeling of dread he could almost feel in the air around him after seeing the bodies. Something had happened here, and it can't have been good.

* * *

They found the control room with ease, all four of them having spent time on an Ori warship before helped, and they didn't encounter anyone on the way there either. They'd stepped aboard a ghost ship.

Nonetheless, Daniel kept his hands gripped tightly on his weapon the whole time. His nerves were on edge, something wasn't right about this situation and he wouldn't be at ease until he discovered who or what had slaughtered the crew and burnt the corpses. If it had been the Jaffa then Teal'c would have heard something about it, the Tok'ra would have let the SGC know and the Lucian Alliance didn't seem to have a large presence on the planet anymore, Daniel couldn't think of another group that could achieve that kind of slaughter.

While Vala and Teal'c began uploading Sam's subroutine to gain control of the ship, Daniel moved over to one of the other computer terminals. The Ori language was similar enough to Ancient that he could read it relatively well and he accessed the ship's log to discover what had befallen the crew of the vessel. What he found turned his stomach.

'I think the ship's Prior killed the crew.' He announced to the others as he read speedily through the last few entries of the report. 'It says here that several soldiers came back from a battle showing symptoms of a disease they refer to as Clades Atra - the Dark Scourge. The next entry mentions the Prior becoming fearful of the infected and sealing them away.'

'Didn't think they got scared.' Mitchell commented as the ship began to hum steadily, the volume increasing with each passing moment. 'How long until we're airborne?'

'It will only be a few minutes more.' Teal'c assured the Colonel and turned back to work.

'Jackson, is there anything more in the reports?'

'Nothing useful, it mentions some of the symptoms but nothing in great detail, there's something here about the infected people's lifeblood turning as dark as the Night of Reprisal, alluding to a parable in the book of origin and then the Prior ordered them down onto this planet, evacuated the ship and then the entries stop which means that's when-'

'Crew barbeque, got it.' Mitchell replied with a tone of bitterness and Daniel nodded.

Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, leaning heavily against the console before him, the deaths of the Ori soldiers weighing heavily on his already burdened mind. He was worried about the Prior's reaction to this 'Dark Scourge' disease, as Mitchell had rightly said Priors showed no fear; and they didn't normally wipe out devout followers of Origin.

A pressure on his shoulder made him start and he turned, Vala was standing behind him, with Teal'c and Mitchell on the other side of the room working at a console.

'Are you okay?' She asked lightly, and he wasn't sure how to take it. Recently - especially since the ordeal on the _Odyssey_ - he felt that she was offering a far more genuine side of herself, at least for a few moments before the old Vala resurfaced with all defences intact.

'I'm fine.' He tried to sound distracted and busied himself cross-referencing the disease in the Ori databanks.

'Are you sure, you've seemed a little… off recently.' He knew in her own way she was trying to help, but her timing couldn't have been worse. 'Like a few days ago, we found that tablet packed with all of that ancient writing and you didn't get excited at all, you barely even gave us a long-winded explanation on it's _cultural value_.'

'I'm just tired.' he replied, adding a look that he hoped would tell her not to push the matter. He was surprised when she simply nodded and turned away, but her eyes told him she hadn't bought his explanation completely and he almost thought she seemed disappointed that he didn't confide in her. But this was Vala, and he had to be mistaken; he pushed the thought away and continued his search through the log.

'We have broken atmosphere Colonel Mitchell.' Teal'c reported, and Daniel turned to see the vastness of space stretched out before them through the viewport.

'Alright,' Mitchell moved towards the chair at the centre of the room, then move around it to lean on the back rest. 'load up the co-ordinates and take us to hyperspace.'

The space before the ship mottled into bluish-purple as the window opened, then the drives opened up and they fired ahead. Daniel could only hope they were heading towards answers, some part of him was insisting that if they didn't, things were going to get very bad, very soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

'Okay, this is weird.' McKay's voice broke the silence and Shepherd looked up, as did Sam who sat beside him and Zelenka who was working a few feet away.

'What's weird?'

'I've located the address on the hub, that was easy, but there has to be some mistake. This isn't like any Gate address I've ever seen before - we know that a standard in-galaxy address has seven chevrons, six for the destination and the point of origin and to travel to another galaxy there is an eighth chevron-'

'What's weird Rodney?'

'Right, yes, I was getting to that.' He frowned slightly then pointed on the screen at a list of symbols 'This address only has five chevrons, a point of origin in the middle, three destination markers and then the point of origin repeats.'

'Let me see.' Sam leant forward to examine the address. 'Is this definitely the address we're looking for?'

'Time frame matches.' McKay confirmed.

'So what does this mean, exactly?' Shepherd asked, discouraged by the dumbfounded looks on the faces of the two smartest people he knew.

'I have an idea.' Zelenka said, moving over to join them.

'Well?' McKay didn't sound encouraging.

'I assume you are all well versed in the literature involving ten dimensional string theory within a multiverse.'

'Let's assume we're not.' Shepherd replied stonily.

'It's known as a string landscape,' Sam explained, and Shepherd could feel a headache coming on. 'wherein each universe consists of ten dimensional strings that is reduced to the four dimensions we see around us; length, width, height and time. How these selections from ten to four turn out affect what occurs in each universe to the smallest detail. You might be on to something Zelenka.'

'Such as?' Shepherd asked.

'The Gate has been fundamentally modified to input the four dimensions for a specific parallel universe. I mean, look at this data,' Sam said, and Zelenka and McKay crowded around her console. 'the base code has been altered so much that it doesn't even resemble normal Gate operation, it doesn't need any points in space, it seems like it runs on a spatial connection that already exists.'

'But with that kind of inter-dimensional wormhole the amount of zero point energy and exotic particles floating around would make it highly dangerous to traverse.' McKay pointed out hastily. 'Not to mention the variables in the integrity of the wave field that sustains our energy particles. If we step though that wormhole we could come out on the other side as mush.'

'But the math is already on the system Rodney,' Zelenka argued. 'everything needed for safe travel will be stored in the hub.'

'Easy for you to say, you don't have to go through it.' McKay mumbled, Zelenka only shrugged in reply.

'All we need to do is upload it.' Sam said and looked to McKay. 'Do it.'

'Alright, alright' Shepherd watched as McKay tapped a few keys and he looked at the Gate, half expecting some kind of explosion, but there was nothing. The wormhole simply appeared with no vortex springing forth, no sound at all; it was one of the strangest things Shepherd had ever witnessed.

'Send the MALP.' Sam ordered into her headset, and the small vehicle trundled forward and through the Gate. Shepherd led the way to the control centre and McKay sat down before the VDU, tapping his fingers anxiously against the desk as they waited.

It didn't take long.

'The MALP telemetry's coming through.' McKay announced, and Shepherd leant over to get a better look at the visuals as they appeared on the screen. The feed was fuzzy and distorted until McKay adjusted a few of the settings and the image cleared. Shepherd was quiet taken back to find himself staring at a room almost identical to the one in which he was standing save for clear signs of wear and disuse. As the camera rotated to take in the whole room he noticed plant life growing within the structure itself and debris laying around.

'So what are we looking at here?' Shepherd asked.

'An alternate Atlantis.' Sam said, awe clearly present in her voice. 'An artificially created inter-dimensional wormhole. Before we only ever encountered this possibility by accident, the science behind this is incredible, maybe even beyond the Ancient's understanding.'

'I don't think I like the sound of that.' Shepherd intoned then turned to Sam. 'What's the plan?'

Sam looked at the monitor for a few moments before turning. 'We need to find out what that entity was doing crossing over to other dimensions, prepare your team for immediate departure and take two special forces with you, we don't know what to expect over there.' Shepherd nodded in agreement. 

'And in the meantime I'll send word back home. This doesn't answer many of their questions yet but I can think of a few dozen people that would want nothing more than to pore over this data for hours.' She moved off with Zelenka after giving orders to the Gate tech to close the wormhole after the MALP was back, the pair talking excitedly about the possibilities of inter-dimensional travel as they went.

Shepherd turned back to McKay, who was still staring at the video feed. 'Alright, lets get prepped. We'll meet Ronon on the way down there.'

McKay continued to stare at the screen then looked up, frowning. 'I'm going to die, aren't I?'

'Relax.' Shepherd said, slapping McKay on the shoulder. 'What could go wrong?'

But as they headed off to find Ronon, Shepherd silently shared McKay's worries over this mission. The image of Atlantis looking desolate and broken in the video feed was burned onto his memory. Where were the expedition members? Why was every piece of equipment shut down?

He didn't profess to know much about parallel universes but the name implied they'd be parallel, surely. The Atlantis they had dialled looked much, much worse than their own and Shepherd had a feeling in his gut that he didn't want to find out why. 

* * *

General Jack O'Neill frowned. 'You know the coffee here has gone downhill in the last few years.'

'You think this is bad? Wait 'til you see the mess menu.' Landry replied with a tight smile.

Jack returned it and set his coffee mug down on his fellow General's desk. He always felt strange coming to Cheyenne Mountain as a visitor, and stranger still when he considered that this office - this command - used to be his.

'Those scientist must have powerful friends to request you to escort them to Atlantis and actually get you Jack.'

'Yes, I think one of them plays golf with the president every other Sunday.' Jack replied. 'And my atoms just haven't been converted to energy as much as I'd like recently anyway.'

'You wouldn't be going if you didn't want to.' Landry replied and Jack had to agree. Every now and then he regretted his decision to retire from active duty and take up a position at Homeland Security. Never in a million years did he think he would ever become a pen pusher.

But glad as he was to be stepping through the Gate again it wasn't as if he was going out there with his own command, instead he'd be playing baby sitter to a bunch of scientists.

'I'm just glad they've cut down the quarantine time aboard Midway Station,' Jack said, then took another sip of coffee followed by another frown. 'I can live with three, but twenty four hours with those eggheads and I'd go from escort to maniac.'

'I know what you mean,' Landry agreed 'since Colonel Carter called me about this new type of Gate address they uncovered I've had Dr. Lee and few others coming up here constantly requesting a place on the team heading to Atlantis. I'd like to say yes but I need them here.'

'Ah yes, the mystery of the black… thing.' Jack offered, he'd heard from the IOA members about what they had discovered. 'Any less mysterious yet?'

'I'm afraid not, but SG1 are out there looking for answers now.'

'I bet Daniel was practically drooling at the thought of returning to that library, he almost killed himself to save that information the last time.'

'I'm familiar with the report,' Jack thought Landry sounded a little dubious about the mission, despite his trust in SG1. 'But they should be procuring a vessel for us as well, you know how badly we need the support out there, I had to let them go.'

'You made the right call,' Jack assured him 'and who knows? Maybe this place will give us the edge we need against the Ori.'

'I hope so.' Landry replied, and leant back in his chair. Jack could appreciate how tired the man must be. Running the SGC was about as full on as a job could be and every decision could lead to disaster or salvation. Oddly - he found himself missing that as well.

'What about Sam? Isn't this address that's got the scientists all excited related?'

'She's sending a team to the alternate dimension, they're hoping to turn up some answers there as well about the intent of this being. I'm just praying we haven't stumbled upon another enemy.'

'Nah,' Jack said 'that'd never happen.'

* * *

An alarm blared through the bridge of the Ori ship. 'Whoa.' Mitchell shouted and raised his hands, looking around at the rest of the team.

'What did you touch?' Daniel asked and headed towards the terminal nearest Mitchell, he looked pissed.

'Nothing, Jackson.' Mitchell responded truthfully. 'It just went off.'

Daniel moved over to the terminal and examined the data. 'It's a proximity alarm from within the ship,' He reported. 'Down in the lower decks.'

'Looks like some of the crew were left mediumrare,' Mitchell said and raised his weapon. He turned to Teal'c and with a curt nod the Jaffa did the same and moved towards the door. 'Alright - me and Teal'c will go check it out, we'll stay in radio contact.'

'Got it.' Daniel said. 'Head down to deck 11-A, that's where the alarm originated.'

Mitchell gave an affirmative and then took point, heading out of the bridge and moving with a quick pace down the corridor, Teal'c only moments behind him. He couldn't shake the chill down his spine at remembering the pile of burnt bodies back on the planet, there was no way any of them could've survived as far as he could see, he told Teal'c as much.

'What, then, do you suggest triggered the alarm?' Teal'c asked in response.

'I don't know yet.' Mitchell admitted, 'Maybe the Prior is still on board, Vala ran the life sign sweep but who knows whether that'd pick up one of those tricky preachers.' They reached an elevator and stepped inside, Mitchell pushed the button for deck eleven and the doors shut smoothly in front of them.

Their descent was conducted in silence and he took the opportunity to check over his P90 and sidearm before the doors slid open again.

As he stepped out Mitchell had to cover his mouth with his arm as the stench that hung in the air hit his nostrils, he turned to Teal'c whose face showed his own discomfort. Worse than the smell itself was the fact that Mitchell recognised it, it was the scent of death. 

They pressed on regardless and moved along the corridor. Evidently this deck mostly housed crew quarters, a few of the open doors they passed contained desks and metal beds adorned with thin mattresses, the Ori obviously weren't big on comfort, a fact Mitchell didn't find all that surprising.

'Alright we're here Jackson,' Mitchell said quietly into his shoulder radio 'how far are we from the point of origin?'

'Not far,' Daniel's voice crackled from the radio 'the alarm started on the adjoining corridor a few feet ahead of you.'

'Copy.' Mitchell replied and was about to start towards his destination when an energy blast flew up from the end of the corridor and sizzled passed his ear, missing him by such a small margin Mitchell smelt a few of his hairs burn.

Battle reflex's kicked in and Mitchell dived into the open doorway on his left, pushing up against the wall. A quick look told him Teal'c had found cover of his own in a room on the opposite side of the corridor as more blasts of blue-white energy exploded through the space where they had stood moments before.

When the barrage subsided momentarily Mitchell leaned out and fired off a few haphazard shots from his P90 as he tried to locate targets ahead. He caught a flash of movement and adjusted his aim, every one of his bullets landing into the torso of the figure he had fired at, sending the attacker down in a whirl of flailing limbs. 

He ducked back into the room for cover and waited. When no more shots were fired at them Mitchell signalled for Teal'c to cover him and stepped out into the corridor with his gun held ready and his finger pressing lightly on the trigger; his senses attuned to detecting anymore attackers.

When he was as satisfied as he could be there were no others he trod slowly forwards, the barrel of his weapon pointed at the fallen figure. He heard Teal'c's footsteps a little way behind but didn't turn, his focus was absolute.

But no amount of focus could help Mitchell when he reached the man and gently shoved him onto his back with his boot. He knew that face, and it had belonged to one of the corpses they'd found smouldering back on the planet. Black lines traced his flesh where it was visible and the burning seemed to have partially healed but there was no mistake. Mitchell was as sure he'd seen this man dead on the planet less than an hour ago as he was about anything.

'That's one of the crew.' He told Teal'c, who regarded him with a strange look.

'The crew of this vessel are dead and back on the planet, Colonel Mitchell, you saw them yourself.'

'Well they've made themselves undead.' Mitchell responded, his mind racing until he took a breath and tried to think objectively. 'Alright, let's get back up to the bridge, we can seal the door and vent the atmosphere, I have a feeling this guy isn't alone.'

'You are correct.' Teal'c confirmed and began firing in the direction they had come from, their escape route. Mitchell groaned and span around, adding his own weapons fire to Teal'c's as they backed away towards the cover of the T-junction behind them, energy shots flying passed them.

When he'd reached the cover Mitchell pressed his back up against the wall and grabbed his radio while Teal'c returned fire relentlessly, holding their attackers at bay.

'Jackson! Jackson, do you read?' He heard weapons fire coming from the radio and fear gripped him, but then Vala's voice came in over the din.

'Mitchell? We've got a bit of a situation up here.' She spoke with bravado but a slight tremor in her voice betrayed the truth. 'There are several attackers outside the bridge and-' The sound of a P90 firing drowned out the rest - presumably Vala was firing her weapon to support Daniel. Mitchell did the same, leaning around and taking out a few of the once-dead Ori crew members, dismayed to find that their numbers had grown.

'We cannot keep them back for long!' Teal'c shouted as he shoved another clip into his gun and resumed firing.

'Mitchell,' Vala's voice was back on the radio 'Did you hear me? The one's that go down, keep getting back up again.'

'What!' Mitchell exclaimed, and leaned out to fire again, keeping up the heat as Teal'c reloaded. He heard the click as his own weapon emptied and - as he turned back into cover - spotted the man he had first recognised from the planet - the man he had shot several times in the chest - pull himself back to his feet, recover his staff weapon and resume firing.

'Ah hell!' Mitchell shouted. 'Teal'c - fall back!'

'Fall back to where?' Teal'c asked and Mitchell assessed the situation; there was a solid wall behind them, enemies in the corridor to their right and Mitchell could just make out more shadowy figures up ahead of them, bringing weapon's to bear and cutting them off from there last escape route. Mitchell fired ahead pre-emptively as Teal'c continued his barrage up the corridor to the right.

'I don't know, just keep shooting!'


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

'Jackson, we're pinned down!' Mitchell shouted over the radio, 'We need support!'

Daniel's mind was racing furiously, he could hear the desperation in his friends voice but couldn't think of anything he could do to help them. As it was he and Vala were caught up in a struggle of their own against the undead crew, trapped as they were in the control room with rapidly depleting ammunition.

'Any ideas?' He asked Vala.

'If you hadn't noticed,' Vala replied. 'we're a little busy ourselves right now.'

He had noticed, their attackers were few in number but every time he or Vala shot them it only incapacitated them for a short while before their wounds resealed and they began to approach again. Only a few of them were armed but that provided enough fire power to keep he and Vala trapped on the bridge.

As he aimed for one of the Ori crew that was getting close and pulled the trigger, his Beretta clicked uselessly, the last of his bullets expended. Vala didn't see him coming from the other side of the doorway, she had all of her attention focused on keeping their enemies on the other side of the corridor at bay. The man closed in on her, his arms outstretched, and Daniel could see only ill intent in his eyes.

Daniel didn't think, he simply acted; with as much momentum as he could muster he dived forwards, sweeping into the path of the oncoming attack and pushing Vala back until he stood between her and harm's way.

The man didn't falter, he placed a hand on Daniel's chest and a cold feeling settled there, a dread that made him shiver. He didn't understand it, but something within him knew this sensation although he couldn't remember how or why. The cold passed and his eyesight blurred, pain shooting through his body from head to toe. He remembered this as well.

He was dazed, but vaguely aware that Vala was shouting over the sound of her gun. It took a while but he realised she was telling him to lock the door. He stumbled over to the console, when the shooting began Daniel had started working on a way to lock the door.

Fighting back the throbbing in his head, he continued his work, knowing how important it was to find time to help his friends.

With a feeling of satisfaction despite the events playing out around him Daniel managed to get the door closed and locked, they had a moment to breath.

'Jackson!' Mitchell shouted again, frantic. 'Do you read?!'

'We're here.' Daniel responded, fighting back the onslaught of pain that had begun when the undead Ori warrior had grabbed him. A cold sweat had erupted over his skin, he could feel every beat of his heart like an explosion as each breath he took became more shallow than the last

'I hope you guys have a plan,' Mitchell said 'because we're running out of-' A bizarre noise exploded from the radio, a high pitch squeal that set Daniel's teeth on edge.

'Mitchell!' He shouted, fearing the worst. 'Mitchell, are you there!'

Only silence followed, and even as Daniel fought to remain conscious against the overwhelming agony that blitzed through him, he felt himself falling.

The world around him slowed as he slammed against the floor, no longer able fight. He landed roughly on his back on the cold metal floor, gasping for breath that just didn't seem to come.

He began to feel numb, the pain ebbing away as the world around him turned to water, rippling and swirling before his eyes. The last thing he saw before the darkness overtook him was Vala's concerned face leaning over him, her lips moving silently.

Daniel's world grew cloudy and although he reached out for the final shreds of light, the darkness consumed him.

* * *

'Wormhole is stable.' Zelenka announced from the dialling terminal.

'Okay, you heard the man. Let's move out.' Shepherd ordered and he, Ronon, McKay and the two SF's - Shepherd knew them as Kingsley and Yates - headed towards the Gate.

'Good luck.' Sam called, but when they reached the shimmering wormhole McKay stopped and turned, looking around.

'This is a bad idea, did I tell you this is a bad idea.' McKay spoke quickly as his nerves got the better of him.

'Come on Rodney, just go through the Gate, okay?' Shepherd tried to sound patient, but McKay's facial expression seemed to imply he'd failed.

'What? No, no, no, I'm not going through there first.'

'Rodney-'

'No way, why don't-'

He was cut off when Ronon reached out and gave McKay a gentle nudge, sending him through the event horizon. Shepherd couldn't hold back a smirk as Ronon turned to him, shrugged lightly and followed the scientist through. With the SF's at his back Shepherd took a deep breath, raised his weapon, and stepped after his comrades.

When he came out the other side he instantly searched for danger, all he found was McKay reprimanding Ronon in a hushed, but very angry voice and the wreckage of the alternate Atlantis control room they had seen from the MALP footage.

He'd thought that was bad but actually standing amongst this decay was troubling, this wasn't his own universe but to see Atlantis looking this way struck a chord within him that wouldn't stay quiet. Staircases were smashed into pieces, walkways had caved in and there were hundreds of cracks and holes adorning the dingy walls. He recognised some of them as results of weapons fire and explosives.

'I'm detecting a couple of life forms a few hundred metres away.' McKay stated, having presumably given Ronon enough of a telling off. He came over to Shepherd and showed him the green dots blinking on the handheld Ancient sensor device.

'And that's all?' Shepherd asked. Given the state of the surroundings he should have expected this, but it was still a shock to the system to think that only a few expedition members were still alive in Atlantis, if it was even expedition members the sensor was picking up.

'Yeah, I'm not picking up anymore.' McKay affirmed. 'It looks like they're in the medical bay.'

Since the life signs were in close proximity to each other, Shepherd didn't bother to split the team up and motioned for them all to follow his lead. They negotiated the crippled staircase with care and headed up towards the medical bay.

When they were about half way, a noise caused Shepherd to halt and he held his hand up to alert the other members of his team. He tightened the grip on his weapon and moved forward slowly, but the lights were out and the corridor ahead was too gloomy to make anything out.

Bullets fired out of the darkness before and before Shepherd could react, half a dozen of them impacted on Kingsley and he went down. The rest of the team moved to the sides, finding protection behind larger pieces of debris. Shepherd - who'd been nearest Kingsley when he was shot - grabbed him by his jacket and dragged him with him behind a piece of sheared off wall.

He risked a look over the top for the hostiles but was met instead with another onslaught of bullets. That was disconcerting enough, but he also noticed the bullets were being fired from P90's, which implied he was being fired upon by his own people - or at least his own parallel people. As we waited for a gap in the unseen enemies attack he checked on Kingsley, but he was already dead.

'Cease fire!' Shepherd shouted. 'My name is Colonel John Shepherd! We came through the Stargate from-'

'Shepherd,' McKay cut him off 'they don't register on the sensor!'

That was all he needed to hear, Shepherd knew that any expedition member would definitely show up on that sensor so he stood and fired in a wide line ahead of them. Once he had fired the first shot the rest of his team joined in, firing into the dark until all of the returning attacks ceased.

'Move out, but stay on guard.' Shepherd ordered and took point again.

After a short walk they came upon the bodies of their attackers and once they were close enough to see them through the gloom, Shepherd's heart sank.

'They're wearing expedition uniforms.' Ronon said gruffly when he was as close as Shepherd.

'But look at their faces.' Yates spoke up, pointing down at one of the dead.

Shepherd, although it turned his stomach, took a closer look at the bodies. He realised instantly what Yates had been talking about; every one of them had dark lines etched upon their skin, it looked to Shepherd as if their veins and arteries had been turned black.

'We have to move on.' Shepherd said quietly.

'We just killed our own people.' McKay sounded shocked and angry, Shepherd couldn't blame him.

'Look Rodney, they didn't show up on the sensor, it can't have been them, but there's definitely _something_ here and to figure it out, we have to keep moving.' Shepherd rationalised and locked eyes with McKay, at first he expected further argument, but none came.

'Fine.' McKay muttered.

'Alright, let's go.' Shepherd began to move, but when he checked back on his team, Yates was still standing by the bodies, looking down at one of them with an empty look in his face.

'That… that's me…' He sounded distant, and the look he gave Shepherd chilled him.

'Yates.' He called to the young man. 'Lieutenant Yates, we have to-'

He stopped short when he noticed something moving on the floor. He couldn't believe it, the alternate Yates shook for a moment and then began to drag himself up from the floor.

'Oh great, it's Atlantis of the dead.' McKay exclaimed.

Shepherd ignored him. 'Yates, get over here!' But the young man didn't move, he simply stared nonplussed as his doppelganger staggered to his feet and grabbed Yates, placing one of it's oily hands against his chest.

Shepherd caught a glimpse of a strange crimson light that seemed to emanate from the doppelganger into Yates even as he raised his P90, the light swirled around it's fingers and then appeared to be absorbed into Yates' body

Before he could fire, a burst of red energy from Ronon's pistol slammed into the doppelganger and sent him flying away from Yates, who stumbled in a daze towards Shepherd and the rest of the team. Shepherd threw his arm over the bewildered Lieutenant's shoulder and began to move away as fast as he could, aware that since Ronon continued to fire the other bodies had to be reanimating behind them.

He glanced back and his suspicions were confirmed, all of the expedition members that had lain dead moments ago were getting up, taking up arms and firing relentlessly at them. But Shepherd knew this city, and he knew they were close to the medical centre, if they could reach it - and the owners of the life signs - they could lock the door tight and try to get some answers about what had happened here. If it had anything to do with the strange black entity SG1 had charged them to find.

A stray bullet whizzed uncomfortably close to Shepherds head and he urged his legs to carry himself and Yates faster away from the attackers that were closing on them.

By some miracle they arrived at the medical bay unscathed and Shepherd let go of the Lieutenant - leaving him to use the wall for support. He took full advantage of having both hands free by joining Ronon in shooting at their pursuers, holding them back while McKay worked on the locked door to the bay.

'McKay?' Shepherd shouted in irritation.

'Nearly,' McKay replied as he fiddled with the door control crystals, there was a spark and McKay yelped in frustration. Shepherd continued to fire up the corridor sporadically with Ronon asking himself over and over how long McKay would take to open. The answer was thankfully presented only seconds later when the door slid open halfway.

'Got it.' McKay exclaimed, grabbing Yates and heading inside.

'Get through that door!' Shepherd shouted and after taking a few more shots Ronon complied.

Shepherd let off a few more rounds of his own and then dived into the medical bay himself, closing and sealing the door as he did.

'Okay, we need to find out what the hell is going on here.' He said angrily.

'I think that would be a good idea.' A voice that didn't belong to one of his team said softly, and Shepherd turned to stare down the barrel of a pistol. He noted his other team members hands were raised, and then looked at the owner of the gun, his eyes widened in shock.

'Elizabeth?'

* * *

Mitchell had seen a lot, especially in the last two years as a member of SG-1, but the sight he was confronted with now was difficult to register as reality.

A Prior had just saved their lives. A Prior.

He'd swept into the corridor, the energy blasts bouncing uselessly away from him and thrust his staff into the floor. A brilliant white light had blinded Mitchell for a few moments and when he could see again their attackers had disappeared, leaving only himself, Teal'c and the Prior in the corridor.

Now they stood facing each other, and Mitchell didn't know what to do. 'Please tell me we have the anti-Prior device with us.' He whispered.

'I believe Daniel Jackson has it in his pack.' Teal'c replied.

'That's just great.' Mitchell sighed heavily.

He kept his weapon trained on the Prior, but the man showed no fear - which wasn't surprising at all - and stared at them. When he took a step towards them, Mitchell noticed blood staining his robes and the Prior fell to his knees, his staff clattering against the floor as he dropped it.

Mitchell began to approach with Teal'c at his side, all the while his mind was racing, trying to fathom what had just happened, Prior's didn't get wounded unless there was an anti-Prior device at work as far as he knew.

'Don't move.' Mitchell warned when the Prior tried to get up.

'I mean you no harm.' The Prior said and looked up at them. They were closer now and Mitchell saw the man's face more clearly. He was younger than any of the other Ori lapdogs Mitchell had seen before - he appeared to be in his late teens - and his face was less scarred than the others. Mitchell didn't really know what to think but what was clear was that the young man was in pain.

'Forgive me if I don't believe that, but a lot of your buddies have tried to kill a lot of mine.'

'I serve the Ori no longer.'

'Didn't think you got to choose that.' Mitchell replied, not sure how to take the information, if it was a trap he couldn't see it, the Prior had killed his crew and was wounded, he could barely stand.

'I cannot hear them anymore.' Mitchell thought he sounded a little pitiful, nothing like the other Prior's they'd met.

'And what does that mean, exactly?'

' I want to help you, something has arrived that could bring about the end of all things.'

'Like the Ori?' Mitchell accused. 'You killed your own crew.'

The Prior looked aghast. 'That was not me. The disease that spread through my crew took their lives, I tried to heal them on the planet but I didn't have a chance. The Clades Atra is a precursor to something far worse. You have already seen the dead rise through it's power, and this is but the beginning of it's conquest. Even now the creatures I banished are alive still, I sent them to a lower level of this ship but they will learn quickly how to follow us.'

Mitchell fixed the Prior with stern gaze, still uncertain of how to act.

'Mitchell, Teal'c!' Vala's voice came suddenly over the radio, he could hear banging in the background and the dire situation his friends were still in was instantly on his mind.

'Vala, how are you holding up there?' He asked, his gaze never once straying from the Prior.

'I'm fine,' She sounded upset, 'it's Daniel. One of those things got a hold of him and… Mitchell he's collapsed, he's not responding and he's barely breathing.'

Teal'c didn't wait for any orders, he moved quickly towards the elevator. Mitchell grabbed the Prior and hoisted him to his feet.

'Here's what's going to happen,' he said coldly ' if you want to prove yourself, then you're going to help my friend, and no funny business, got it?'

'Yes. But if it is the Clades Atra there may be little I can do.' The Prior admitted. Mitchell motioned for him to walk with the barrel of his P90.

'You're still going to try.' They began to move at a quick pace and he leaned his mouth down to the radio. 'Vala, sit tight, we're on our way back.'

* * *

Vala was holding Daniel's head in her lap, he'd lost consciousness mere moments ago but his skin had already paled; he looked deathly white in the already dim light of the warship bridge. He murmured incoherent words every so often but his eyes didn't open, Vala only wanted them to open.

The pounding from outside the bridge door seemed to fade as she looked down on him - willing him to get up and be better. But she understood the universe too well to expect that something might actually go her way - it was a place too cruel for handing out comforts.

But one relief was that she had finally managed to reach Mitchell and Teal'c on their radios and they were on their way to her. Neither of them had much of a medical background as far as she knew but anything they could do would be better; all Vala could do was stare and hope as Daniel's condition continued to worsen.

A noise from outside the door grabbed her attention, a thud followed by a high pitched squeal, exactly the same as the one that had erupted from Daniel's radio. Vala didn't want to leave his side - and registered some shock at that sentiment - but she also knew she'd be no good to him or anyone if she was dead.

As quickly and carefully as she could, Vala lowered his head from her lap and went for her gun, reaching it just as the door to the bridge slid open.

'Vala, what happened?' Mitchell came striding into the bridge with Teal'c and behind them - a Prior.

'Mitchell, look out.' She pointed her gun and fingered the trigger, wishing that they had thought to turn on the anti-Prior device.

'Him? Don't worry.' Mitchell sound worried, despite his words 'Apparently he's a deserter.'

'Prior's don't desert. They can't.' Vala didn't shift her aim and looked to Teal'c for support. 'Come on muscles, you can't agree with this.'

'Daniel Jackson's safety is more important.' Teal'c replied and his eyes shifted back from Daniel and Vala. She relented and dropped her gun, almost missing the look of sympathy that he gave her, she didn't quite comprehend it, but it vanished quickly.

'Please, you must listen.' The Prior was much more soft spoken than she'd expected, it caught her off guard. 'My name is Vir Ella'gre, I have not completed my full transformation to becoming a Prior, but before it began I was a member of an anti-Ori movement in our home galaxy.'

'You're a spy?' Mitchell questioned incredulously 'You expect us to believe you've overcome their brain washing.'

'I think he's telling the truth,' Vala announced, but she could barely believe it herself 'back in the Ori galaxy - when I was a part of the resistance - I heard his name mentioned.' She locked eyes with Vir, hoping she was right. 'They called you their final hope if the bombing failed.'

'I came close to ascension, before they turned me.' Vir replied. 'Fearing I could oppose them and not wanting to share their power, they inducted me into the Prior college in the hopes of getting me to serve them. I believe that it would have eventually worked but I have managed to keep my own mind for now.'

'Can you help him?' Vala asked hopefully, indicating towards Daniel. She appreciated that this young Prior could be a valuable asset in the war and they should find out if he could be trusted, but none of that mattered to her right now. Daniel could be dying for all she knew, and she wasn't going to let that happen.

'I will try.' He spoke gently and - on Mitchell's approving nod - approached Daniel's static form and knelt at his side. Vala noticed his wounds for the first time and found herself beginning to form some sense of trust for Vir, for here he was; a Prior; there greatest enemy putting the safety of Daniel above his own. Albeit at gunpoint but it had to count for something.

Vir placed his hands over Daniel, his brow furrowing in concentration. Vala didn't take her eyes from them, but Mitchell come to stand at her side.

'Are you sure about this?' He asked in hushed tones.

'I know that name,' Vala replied, equally as quiet 'but it doesn't explain how he managed to avoid becoming an Ori puppet, or why he hasn't contacted us before now.'

'I never had the chance,' Vir said, his voice a little strained, and Vala cursed herself for forgetting about a Prior's above average capabilities 'None of your people were ever on the planets I visited.'

'And how did you escape the brain washing?' Mitchell was clearly still unconvinced 'We were led to believe that being turned into a Prior was instantaneous and took away your free will.'

'But Daniel Jackson was turned into a Prior also,' Teal'c offered 'yet he remained of his own mind throughout the ordeal.'

'You buy this?' Mitchell sounded as surprised as Vala felt.

'I believe a person can enter into a duty while believing inside them it is wrong. I also believe that accepting the evil of ones own actions can cause a change in that person.' Teal'c was speaking from personal experience and Vala could understand, she'd had a lot of changes in her own life in the last few years.

'I'm not saying they can't, Teal'c,' Mitchell responded 'but he's a _Prior_, plus Daniel had a little help from Merlin when he was converted.'

'And if what Vir says is true then too had ability to that of an Ascended being when he became a Prior.' Vala raised an eyebrow at Teal'c; seemingly, seeing Vir move to help Daniel had warmed the Jaffa to him, and she had to admit she was feeling the same effect.

'Which brings me to my next point.' Mitchell continued, addressing Vir directly. 'How did you know you were nearly ascended? It doesn't exactly sound like something the Ori would've included in their little Book of Origin.'

'No,' Vir agreed, not looking up from his work, 'I was contacted by one of the ascended years ago, they told me the truth of the Ori and that I was born different to the others, a mistake of nature. That was the only time I saw her and afterwards I joined the anti-Ori movement.'

Vala shot Mitchell a glare. 'Just let him help Daniel.'

The Colonel conceded, but didn't take his watchful eye from Vir. Vala moved closer to the Prior and knelt on the floor beside him. Although he didn't open his eyes, he seemed to sense her presence.

'I'm sorry,' he sounded as if he meant it, 'I cannot help your friend. The disease has been inside him for years, I don't know how he survived this long without symptoms.'

'They started not that long ago,' Vala felt empty, she'd known that Daniel hadn't been feeling well and had asked him about it on several occasions, but she hadn't realised it was this severe, 'he was tired, not acting like himself.'

'I too was told by Daniel Jackson that he had experienced much fatigue recently.' Teal'c added.

'But Clades Atra takes barely hours to kill it's victims.' Vir stated, finally looking up at them.

'What are you saying?' Vala asked, but she already knew the answer.

'Contact with the creature has worsened the diseases effect.' Vir explained. 'In this condition, your friend doesn't have long.'


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Daniel was riding on the waves of his own consciousness, aware in some detached way that the darkness surrounding him was the echo of a memory that was trying to resurface but he was no longer able to fathom. But he could remember the pain, how it had been unbearable at first and then - over time - how it had faded.

He swept passed other images - memories of people, places and battles - hundreds of them streamed passed him at such a great speed they barely registered, and every so often he saw only darkness. Then, the images began to slow down and soon he could see them all in detail, until his eyes settled on a place he hadn't seen in years, the Abydos Gate room.

The motion of the images stopped and, although he missed the transition, he could feel the solid stone floor under his feet and the warm air blowing in through the entrance. He hadn't thought of this place as home for a long time but the sensation was with him then, a comfort amidst the darkness.

As he took in every detail, he noticed a figure dressed in a long, dusty brown robe that stood with his back turned to Daniel several feet away, facing the Stargate. When Daniel began to approach, the figure turned, and Daniel could barely believe his eyes.

'Skaara?' The young Abydonian was beaming and he grabbed Daniel into an embrace that he returned, dumbfounded at seeing his brother-in-law. His dead brother-in-law.

'Daniel,' Skaara said when they broke apart, 'it is good to see you again.'

'It's good to see you too.' Daniel agreed. Up until this point he had assumed he was dreaming, but now he knew that was not the case. It felt so real but something was slightly askew - much the same as he had felt when he was in Oma's half-Ascension café. Skaara was standing before him in Ascended form, and that realisation instantly worried him.

'You shouldn't be here,' he warned the younger man, 'the Others won't tolerate you interfering with our plane, you must know that.'

'It is too late,' Skaara replied, 'we have interfered for a long time, just as you did to help us - we now help you.'

'I don't want you to put yourself at risk.'

'It is you who are at risk Daniel, I cannot say much without the Others knowing but you have been tainted by the Beast.'

'When that man grabbed me.' Daniel had already assumed that was the case.

Skaara shook his head. 'No Daniel, long before then, when you were ascended.' His puzzlement must have shown because Skaara continued to explain. 'You were the only one to confront the Beast when it came, that was when it poisoned you. But you were on the higher plane, and the infection couldn't harm you.

'When you returned to your body the disease stayed with you, but we found out. All of the Abydonian people know of the sacrifice you made for us and together we protected you, stopped the growth of the disease.' He paused, looking around with caution before continuing.

'But the Others found out what we were doing and stopped us. Several weeks ago the disease began to grow again; we help a little without being caught to prolong you life, but now the Beast has infected you again…' Skaara trailed off, looking at the floor.

'I'm dying.' Daniel concluded, he had already assumed that as well. Skaara's words explained why he had felt so out of sorts recently, why he hadn't slept properly and why his head was continuously pounding. In this place, however, none of that seemed to matter.

Skaara nodded solemnly in confirmation. 'We will continue to give you strength, give you more time.' He promised.

'The Others will banish you if they know you're still interfering.' Daniel didn't want the Abydonians taking any more risks for him. 'I won't let you do it.'

Skaara smiled lightly. 'You can't stop us,' he said simply, 'and we will not be caught again, we have learned much in our time here.'

Daniel could see there would be no arguing with his brother-in-law, so with a sigh he let it go, and thanked Skaara for his assistance. When a silence passed over them Daniel let the relief at seeing Skaara well and hearing that the Abydonians were okay rush over him. Even with all of the concerns back on his own plane of existence, he was glad the Abydonian had found peace.

'You must go now.' Skaara said, glancing around again.

'Be careful.' When Daniel said it, it was almost a question.

'And you.' Skaara replied and reached out to put a hand on Daniel's shoulder. He felt a warmth emanate from the spot and instinctively knew that Skaara was beginning to heal him. 'Be well Daniel, and continue on your path.'

He began to drift away, the scene of Skaara and the Abydos Gate room melting into a fog and dispersing rapidly. A part from him wanted to stay in the peaceful surroundings but he knew the dangers in his own plane were just beginning.

But he also knew he was on the right path to stop them.

* * *

Shepherd looked down at the barrel of the gun and back to Elizabeth Weir for what had to be the twentieth time and it still shocked him. He'd thought he would never see her again and now she was threatening his life. The look in her eyes was like nothing he had seen in his Elizabeth before, a hardness borne of turmoil and difficulty. He used that fact to remind himself that the woman standing before him was a stranger.

'Hey, just calm down. I can explain.' Shepherd spoke slowly.

'That you came from a parallel universe? We already know.' Shepherd's shock only heightened when he turned to the Scottish speaker. 'I'm Dr. Carson Beckett. Elizabeth, I don't think the gun is necessary.'

'Maybe.' She relented and lowered the weapon, all the while keeping her unrelenting gaze on Shepherd.

'Carson?' McKay was the first of his team to find his voice, but Shepherd couldn't deny feeling a little freaked out himself. Two of his own dead colleagues - his friends - were standing right in front of him.

'It's good you're here.' Ronon said, leading Yates to a still standing gurney and laying him down on it. 'This man needs a doctor.'

'Oh no, sorry, I'm not that kind of doctor - I'm a physicist.' Carson replied.

'You are?' McKay asked in disbelief.

'I'll take a look at him.' Elizabeth offered and headed over to the prone Lieutenant to do so.

'So how in the hell did you know where we came from?' Shepherd asked Carson.

'We've got a remote monitor to the Gate.' He replied, motioning for Shepherd and McKay to join him by his VDU. 'The readings were the same as when that black energy being came through and I'd already figured out it led to a parallel Atlantis. We'd have dialled out but we haven't had any physical access to the Gate for quite a while now, those bloody corpses are blocking our way.'

'Yeah, about those guys. What the hell are they?' Shepherd questioned.

'We had an epidemic.' Carson explained grimly. 'It all started a few days after that black entity came from your universe, we tracked it through the city, it seemed harmless. The first symptoms were discovered when it had already left.' He closed his eyes against obviously painful memories.

'The infected died within hours of the symptoms presenting themselves - sometimes sooner.' Elizabeth continued for him while still tending to Yates. 'Before we knew it a whole floor of the city was being cleared for storage of the dead, and that was the time the first corpse moved.'

'We did wonder about that.' Ronon commented.

'I did some work into what is reanimating them.' Carson tapped at his console and pointed to the screen, Shepherd looked at the graph and numbers for a few moments before giving up but beside him McKay nodded.

'They're connected by some kind of subspace signal.' He concluded, and Carson nodded his approval.

'We started doing some research into finding a way to disrupt that signal, but stopped when we found this.' He picked up a small oval device that was wired to his console. 'It's an Ancient storage device that was in the possession of one of the walking dead we were testing on.'

'What is it?' Shepherd asked.

'We're not sure.' Elizabeth replied. 'The data stored on it was heavily encrypted by the Ancients and with only Carson and I here to decode it, the process has been slow to say the least.'

'There's just the two of you?' Shepherd couldn't hide his surprise, or his disappointment.

'I'm afraid so,' Carson confirmed after a thick silence, 'as for the Milky Way we aren't sure, but…'

He shook his head and Shepherd's heart sank. He felt an overwhelming desire to get back home and bury the Gate for good, or at least point a nuke directly at it - just in case. He'd always been aware of the dangers it presented but the universe Carson described was frightening in a way Shepherd had never allowed himself to consider.

'What have you found?' McKay inquired.

'We've only unlocked the first few files,' Elizabeth admitted 'they speak of this black entity and the disease it carries - they call it the Dark Scourge - but there isn't much to go on. But recently we opened one of the files deeper down and it tells of a second city-ship that was built by the Ancients to battle this Scourge.'

'Hold on, a second Atlantis?' McKay asked.

'That's what it says Rodney.' Carson inflected solemnly. 'The file mentions that this city was hidden away, but that it leads to a weapon capable of destroying whatever that black creature is.'

'Destroy the creature, stop the disease.' Shepherd concluded.

'That's what we were hoping.' Elizabeth agreed.

Shepherd was about to speak when Yates started to convulse on the gurney. Ronon - who had stayed by him - grabbed the Lieutenant by the shoulders to restrain him. By the time Shepherd had reached them to help, Ronon had been thrown off and Yates was on his feet, black lines etched all over his skin.

'We are the legion of extinction.' Yates intoned in a deep, rasping voice that seemed void of emotion.

'He's been infected!' Elizabeth exclaimed, bringing her gun to bear on the Lieutenant and loosing several rounds. None of them had any effect but as soon as she fired, Shepherd could hear the sounds of multiple fists banging on the door to the infirmary, the dead had come calling.

A wash of bright light exploded in the infirmary. When it subsided, a cloaked figure stood in the centre of the infirmary, golden energy playing at his fingertips. Shepherd had only met the man a few times but knew him by reputation well enough to recognise him as Dr. Daniel Jackson.

With a small wave of his hand, Daniel made Yates cease all movement and the Lieutenant fell to the floor with a thud, convulsing every few moments but otherwise completely paralysed.

'Who the hell are you?' Elizabeth asked, as far as Shepherd knew, the two had met before, but it only proved to highlight this universe's differences. As did Dr. Jackson's ascended state, he had been returned to normal life after a year back home.

'That's not important right now.' Daniel assured her, then fixed his eyes on Shepherd. 'I can't hold them back for long John, the fate of every single universe but your own has been sealed by the Beast. I've waited too long to help but it's been hard to get away from the Others.'

'What can we do?' Shepherd kept looking over at the direction to the infirmary door that was being dented inwards.

'Take that device back with you,' Daniel instructed 'with that you will be able to find the weapon.'

With that Daniel turned his head. 'They've found me-' He was cut off, and his body exploded into golden lights that floated like feathers before dissolving in the air.

'You heard the man.' He said to his team with a shrug and then turned to Elizabeth and Carson - eternally grateful that Yates didn't get back up to attack. 'Come on, you're coming with us.'

'I'm sorry, but no.' Elizabeth replied, shaking her head. 'Our home is here, no matter what, and there's still a chance that there are survivors out there that are going to need our help.'

Shepherd fixed her with a sceptical glare. 'We both know what will happen if you stay here Elizabeth.'

'And we both know you'll need cover fire to escape.' Carson reasoned, taking up position behind a medical machine as the pounding on the door began to tear the hinges and allow the dead access to the infirmary.

'Go Colonel.' Elizabeth urged, mimicking Carson's stance. She looked at Shepherd for just a moment, and the stubborn determination he saw reminded him of his own Elizabeth Weir, it was enough to make him realise that he couldn't argue with her on this point. She had already made the decision, and he couldn't afford to wait any longer if he wanted the chance to stop this nightmare from developing back at home.

'Come on.' Shepherd tried to ignore the look on McKay and Ronon's face when he ordered them to leave, but they stayed silent. Before leaving, Shepherd gave up almost all of his ammunition to Elizabeth and Carson, and McKay did the same. He wanted to ensure they had a fighting chance.

Nearly all of the noise made by the undead came from the opposite direction to the Gate, which gave Shepherd and his team an advantage. With the cover fire of Elizabeth and Carson, he was almost certain they would make it back safely. He nodded to Rodney, who grimaced and put the Ancient storage device into his pocket.

With Ronon taking the lead, Rodney swiftly opened the door and with a final, regretful look back at Carson and Elizabeth - who had begun to fight back against the dead that had broken through the door - Shepherd followed Ronon through.

There way was surprisingly unimpeded, it seemed that all of the undead forces had joined for the assault on the infirmary and it left him with little doubt about the fate of Elizabeth and Carson.

When they reached the control room an explosion rocked the city, Shepherd shared looks with Ronon and McKay before closing his eyes against the very real possibility that Carson and Elizabeth had just sacrificed themselves to allow them to escape. He silently vowed not to allow the same thing happen in his own universe.

'Dial up the Gate.' He ordered McKay, trying to keep his spirit from breaking beyond repair.

* * *

Still caught between the world of dreams and reality Daniel felt numb, but as his perceptions became more lucid he became aware of a warm, comforting hand wrapped around his own. The sensation brought him some much needed comfort as the numbness dissipated and the memory of disease and the pain it brought with it returned.

He opened his eyes slowly to a bright, blurred world that swam before his vision, slowly becoming clearer. When the disorientation passed, Daniel remembered the urgent fight that had been ongoing when he collapsed and sat up straight. As he did, the grip on his hand relaxed and he caught eyes with Vala, she looked upset, but he was eternally grateful that she was okay.

'Daniel? How are you feeling?' She asked gently.

'I'm alright.' He assured her, even if it was only a half truth. 'How are Teal'c and Mitchell?'

'They're fine, it's you we're worried about.' She regarded him for a moment and Daniel caught a glimmer of change in her demeanour. 'You… you saved my life, Daniel.'

'Don't worry about it, it'll be your turn next.' He tried to keep his tone light, the look in her eyes stirred something within him he'd long believed dead and buried, a strange but not altogether unpleasant sensation.

'I mean it, I - no one's ever done anything like that for me.' Vala said quietly, talking into her hands she'd folded in her lap. 'Thank you.'

'Hey Jackson.' Mitchell called out as he approached. 'It's good to see you up.'

'Yeah, thanks.' Daniel replied, he still felt incredibly weak but pushed himself out of the makeshift bed that he'd been lying in and stood up shakily. His vision if Skaara was still blazing in his memory as he did and he related the encounter to his friends, they seemed to relax a little when he informed them that the ascended Abydonians were keeping the disease at bay.

'Nice to know you still have friends in high places.' Mitchell said when Daniel was done. 'I'll see that story, and raise you a Prior that's fighting against the Ori.'

Daniel raised his eyebrows. 'What?'

'His name's Vir,' Vala chimed in 'and he hasn't tried to set anybody on fire or said 'hallowed be the Ori' or anything.'

'But he's on our side?'

'He says he is,' Daniel could see Mitchell's scepticism painted on his face, 'and so far he seems to be on the level. He's gotten us to P3X-972 in half the time Sam's program would've, but I've still got Teal'c keeping a close eye on him.'

'Sounds like a good idea,' Daniel agreed, 'but having a Prior on our side would shift the balance in our favour for the first time in two years.'

'I know, I know.' Mitchell admitted. 'Doesn't stop me from having doubts though.'

'He seems to know something about the disease that's bringing back the dead,' Vala didn't look Daniel in the face when she spoke about it. 'And he even tried to heal you when you fell.'

'What does he know?' Daniel asked, trying to ignore how unsettled he was at the thought of a Prior messing with him while he was unconscious.

'Well, he hasn't actually said much yet,' Vala conceded 'but maybe he knows more about this Beast that Skaara warned you about.'

'Maybe,' Daniel replied 'and we should ask him, but I still think our best hope is on Ernest's Planet in the Ancient library.'

'We'll know soon,' Mitchell said 'let's get to the bridge, Teal'c and Vir are searching for access to the planet now.'

Daniel followed Mitchell out of the room and towards the bridge; as they walked he could feel Vala's eyes on his back, she hadn't looked as convinced as Mitchell when he'd told them he would be fine. To be honest he hadn't convinced himself either.

The scene in the bridge was bizarre, Teal'c standing by Vir's side as he sat in the command chair with his eyes closed. Out of the viewport he saw Ernest's planet below, such a significant world filled with knowledge that looked from here like any other world he had seen, apart from the brownish tint to the clouds and the enormous mass just visible on the edge - the storm that he and SG1 had faced nearly ten years before.

But it was a glimmer in space that caught Daniel's attention. 'What is that?' He asked, pointing towards it.

'What's what?' Mitchell asked, squinting in the direction Daniel had pointed.

'It is a Stargate.' Teal'c said, sounding puzzled.

'A Space Gate?' Daniel looked down at the sensor readout in front of Teal'c, it was conclusive.

'I thought they only had those in the Pegasus Galaxy.' Mitchell looked to Daniel for validation, but he merely shrugged, that was what he had believed as well.

'It's orbit is far enough out that it wouldn't interfere with the Gate on the planet's surface,' Vala explained as she examined her own display 'but I don't see a dialling device.'

'Incoming only,' Mitchell guessed 'I'm not sure I like the sound of that.'

'That is the least of our worries Colonel Mitchell,' Teal'c spoke up 'the dead crew members have activated the elevator and are heading towards us.'

'Couldn't be good news for once.' Daniel commented sarcastically.

'Guess not,' Mitchell agreed, arming his P90 'Vir - is there a ring platform on this floor?'

'Yes, the emergency platform is not far from here.' Vir replied 'But if we flee, this ship will be lost to victims of the Clades Atra. They have already locked me out of the self destruct.'

'Better to lose a ship than our lives.' Mitchell rationalised, and Daniel had to agree with the notion. 'Let's go.'


	7. Chapter 7

****

Chapter 7

With a buzz, the rings went back skyward and Daniel stepped from the platform into absolute darkness. Mitchell and Teal'c instantly became visible behind him when they switched on the flashlights under their guns, with Daniel and Vala quickly following suit.

He felt a twinge of excitement amidst the chaos of the last few hours that was rooted in the discovery of ancient artefacts and truths that he hadn't felt in a long time - this feeling spurred him on, the light from his weapon flashing across the floors and walls as he searched for anything that might point towards the Ancient Library and the knowledge it stored.

But what he was faced with was little more than an empty and battered room. Not one single letter marking the walls and no technology of any kind beyond the half buried ring platform beneath his feet. Daniel's shoulders sagged, and in the back of his mind he worried that his assumption had been incorrect, that nothing was here beyond the rubble.

'I've got something,' Mitchell announced from the other side of the room, and Daniel and the others moved over to him 'there's an opening in the rock over here.'

'It's not wide enough for any of us to get through.' Vala said after examining the rift.

A low rumble sounded and shook the ground beneath Daniel's feet, several small rocks fell from above them, clattering against the ground. A second rumble came - louder than the first - and larger rocks descended. Daniel felt an arm grab him and pull him backwards, he fell back onto the floor and heard a crash of stone against stone.

He looked up to see Teal'c standing over him. 'Are you injured Daniel Jackson?'

'No, I'm fine.' He looked back to where he had been standing and saw light coming through the gap, the boulder Teal'c had saved him from had hit the wall and widened the crack. 'Thanks for the save.' Teal'c bowed his head in reply.

'That was awfully convenient.' Vala remarked, moving closer to the opening that was now large enough to grant them passage.

'That's one way of putting it.' Daniel muttered as he picked himself up off the floor. 'It could have squished me.'

'We should continue.' Vir spoke up for the first time since their arrival, and as the room shook again bringing down more debris around them Mitchell sounded his agreement before climbing awkwardly through the opening.

Daniel followed him and came out on the other side into a brightly lit chamber that far exceeded his archaeological expectations. The walls and ceiling were painted gold and literally covered with Ancient writing. He moved out into the centre of the room and tried to take it all in when a tall official looking woman suddenly appeared before him.

'Um, guys.' He alerted the others, hearing the clicks of safeties being removed. The woman extended a hand and smiled, then her image blurred and fizzed like a bad television signal and Daniel realised he was facing an Ancient hologram.

'Welcome - welcome - welcome - welcome -' The woman said, caught in a loop and repeating the same words and movements over and over.

'I think she's broken.' Vala said, coming to Daniel's side. The woman paused momentarily then disappeared entirely. She reappeared after a few seconds wearing different clothes and sporting a different hairstyle. 'I wish I could change that fast.'

'Welcome, Merlin and party, to the Information Axis. If you would proceed through the doors behind me you will come to the secondary library complex - if you wish, you may access the embassies or our allies from there.'

'Merlin?' Mitchell questioned as the woman's image faded. 'I thought that whole sharing bodies with a bearded old man thing was erased when you de-Priorised.'

'Are you kidding? Daniel was born a bearded old man.' Vala quipped with a smirk.

He shot Vala a look, but it wasn't as scolding as usual; he was actually thankful for her playful banter. After seeing how she had reacted to his infection he was glad she wasn't stepping on eggshells around him, it was important to him that he wasn't treated like a leper and Daniel was grateful - and a little surprised - that she understood that fact without him having to mention it.

'I guess Merlin wasn't entirely truthful about that part,' Daniel replied - not particularly pleased about it himself, 'but he was weak before he died, maybe he couldn't finish his work. Anyway, it works in our favour now if the computer here thinks my DNA is Merlin's.'

'True enough,' Mitchell agreed 'shall we do as the lady asked?'

Daniel nodded as he felt the excitement rise again. He had nearly lost his life to get at the Library of the Four Races, being here again was a dream come true and with all of the knowledge he had gained between then and now he was sure it would mean a lot more to him.

But the Clades Atra weighed heavily upon him, he had seen the zombies it had created aboard the Ori Warship and to think that was how he would be when the disease took his life forced him to suppress a shiver.

Daniel led the group to the door and it slid open automatically when he approached, revealing a long straight corridor, with a final look at the writing on the wall and telling himself the library was ten thousand times more important he entered the corridor.

'So where are we anyway?' Mitchell asked. 'The reports I read said this library was located in a castle by the ocean, but I don't hear anything.'

'My guess is we're under it.' Daniel offered. 'Some of the text on the walls of the chamber mentioned that this was a private entrance for delegates only. Think of the SGC, we keep the upper levels as a front that we're doing deep space research, but when you get further down the true purpose of the facility is carried out.'

'Sneaky.' Vala appraised.

'So this is where they keep all the good stuff.' Mitchell speculated.

'Trust me, there was plenty of 'good stuff' on the surface.' Daniel replied.

'After all of my attempts, and this old ruin is what turns you on,' Vala mocked gently, moving forwards to join Teal'c, who had taken the lead. 'it's actually rather worrying.'

'I don't think you fully appreciate the significance of this place, this is everything we've been searching for, the combined knowledge of the four most powerful races in this galaxy.' Daniel explained, but got the feeling Vala was no longer listening. That was when he noticed he was walking alone beside their new Prior 'friend'.

The other members of SG1 had continued on ahead, so Daniel asked Vir in a low voice. 'What can you tell me about Clades Atra?'

'Only what is told in the Book of Origin.' Vir replied. 'Although I renounce the teachings that lay within I have discovered there is some truth to stories it tells.'

'What does it say?'

'That millennia ago, the Ori were faced with a disease like no other, it turned their own against them and threatened their entire existence. There is little more it described beyond the terrible symptoms of the plague. Understandably that is one of the forbidden stories kept hidden from the population by the Doci, to conceal that the Ori themselves are fallible.'

Daniel felt a little disheartened that Vir didn't have anything more tangible that might help him counteract the effects of the disease but he tried to stay positive. For all he knew the cure could lay with the thousands of discoveries waiting for him at the end of the corridor.

'I'm sorry I cannot offer more,' Vir apologised sincerely 'but I fear the Dark Scourge may be older and more powerful even than the Ori.'

They fell into silence and continued to walk onwards, eventually coming to the end of the corridor. They were met by a large metal door with the words 'Great Library' inscribed upon it in Ancient, which swung open as Daniel reached the others.

'They must like you here.' Mitchell commented as he moved through the doorway.

'I guess so.' Daniel agreed before stepping over the threshold himself. The Library was smaller than he had expected, a circular room no bigger than the briefing room back at the SGC, with a circular console standing at his centre of a design Daniel had never seen before, probably owing to the fact that it was made by all of the great races together.

Barely able to hold back his mounting excitement Daniel moved quickly towards the console to examine it further. As he circled it he counted seven separate interface points that activated as he passed them, displaying a different coloured screen on each one.

'What do you suppose these doors are for?' Mitchell asked, pointing to the three doors that lined the room at symmetrical intervals.

So transfixed with the console Daniel hadn't noticed them, but he looked up and read the words 'Nox', 'Furling' and 'Asgard' above them. 'They must be the access points for the other three races,' He said, quickly turning his attention back to the console 'since all of them had different means of ship to planet travel it stands to reason that they would enter separately.'

'I think we should check them out. Teal'c, Vir, let's see what's behind door number one.' Mitchell said, heading towards the Furling door; he stopped next to Vala and spoke in a low voice, assuming incorrectly that Daniel couldn't hear him. 'Keep an eye on him, okay?'

He didn't hear Vala's response but when the others were gone, she came over to him and peered over his shoulder at the screen he was currently examining.

'Anything I can do to help?' She asked sweetly.

'Actually, yes,' Daniel said 'there's a lap top in the pack, we need to connect it to the Ancient mainframe in case-' He stopped when his hand made contact with one of the screens and another hologram materialised that looked exactly the same as the woman they had met in the entrance hall, but her clothing and hairstyle were again different.

'She really needs to pick a style.' Vala remarked.

'Welcome, my name is Lia - the Library Interface Avatar. Your DNA signature allows you complete access to the information stored here, and my purpose is to guide you to what you wish to know.'

Daniel stayed silent as the possibilities ran thorough his mind. He had access to the complete combined knowledge that had been locked away from him for ten years, where was he supposed to start? The answers to every mystery were literally a few words away.

'We want to know about the black swirly thing that looks like an ascended being.' Vala's blunt request brought Daniel out of his reverie, and he looked at Vala incredulously.

'Black swirly thing? Do you really expect-'

'Data found,' Lia cut him off, and Vala smiled at Daniel 'an excerpt of Alteran mythology mentions a creature with the description of swirling black smoke, but no other search parameters meet this excerpt.'

'So the creature isn't ascended?' Daniel asked.

'No.' Lia confirmed.

'Can you elaborate on the myth?'

'The official myth is a child's cautionary tale of the black spirit known as the Beast that corrupts the hearts of unwary children. But as a member of the Keepers of Excalibur, a deeper history of the Beast is available if you wish to hear it.'

'Please.' Daniel said, storing the name Keepers of Excalibur in the back of his mind for future reference.

'The Beast was in fact not a myth at all, but a being discovered to exist billions of years ago. It has gone by many names including the Beast, The Devourer of Universes, the Dark Scourge and many others.'

'Cheery.' Vala commented 'So the being that left the SGC is the one that is causing the disease.'

'Skaara implied as much.' Daniel said, recalling how his brother-in-law had said he was 'tainted by the Beast'. 'Where did this discovery come from?'

The woman paused for a moment, looking confused. 'That information has been deleted.' She explained eventually. Daniel frowned, usually going to the source was the best way to solve any problem and he found it curious that it would have been removed from the database.

Not willing to give up, he tried a different line of enquiry. 'Okay, what else is there on the Beast?'

'It is a malevolent being that spurred the creation of the Keepers to fight it. Using a plague that kills and then reanimates it's victims, the Beast's true purpose seems to be the annihilation of all life in the universe. The plague forced the Alterans to leave this galaxy before they returned and constructed this library with the Nox, Furlings and Asgard. It is believed to have been stopped with the use of a seeding device known as Redemption.'

'Well they were wrong about that,' Vala stated, looking accusingly at the hologram. 'It's back.'

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, I really appreciate the support. This chapter took ages to write, and it's pretty short. I'll try to get the next chapter up quicker : D


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Sam was waiting in front of the Gate with a team of scientists and special forces for the entourage from Earth to arrive, but her mind was very much with Shepherd and his team. She couldn't help but wonder if she made the right call sending them off so soon, or the feeling of wishing she was with them.

Still, she had the utmost faith in Shepherd, McKay and Ronon to come back unharmed. She supposed that this was the burden of leadership; to watch others race off into the unknown without being there on the frontlines to help. If she was honest she preferred the latter.

'Incoming wormhole.' The announcement broke off her thoughts and she watched the Gate activate before her eyes. 'We're receiving a Midway Station IDC.'

'Lower the shield.' Sam ordered, and the haze around the wormhole evaporated to admit the travellers.

There were fourteen of them, nine scientists accompanied by SG-10 and - Sam could scarcely believe it. Striding behind the group looking as uncomfortable in dress uniform as ever was Jack O'Neill. Sam grinned from ear to ear as she greeted the scientists and soldiers, finally facing her former CO.

'It's good to see you again Carter,' He said with a smile and returned her salute.

'You too sir,' Sam replied 'the reports didn't say that you'd be accompanying the entourage, if I may ask sir; what are you doing here?'

'Oh, you know Carter, the important man with a roundish office.' Jack said easily. 'And you know how much I love all this science stuff.'

Of course Sam was well aware that he definitely did not love science, but she was glad he was here. 'Well, if you'll follow me, sir, we have quarters set up for you -'

'We've got another wormhole forming.' The Gate tech called out as the vortex began to form. Sam looked back in surprise, they weren't expecting any other teams back for a while.

'Trouble?' Jack asked.

'Could be,' Sam admitted, looking over to the Gate tech, 'have we got a positive IDC code yet?'

'Not yet,' he replied, staring down at the screen 'here we go, it's Colonel Shepherd ma'am.'

'Let them through.' Sam let herself a small sigh of relief that if Jack noticed, he didn't mention.

Within moments of the shield disengaging, Shepherd, Ronon and McKay emerged from the shimmering wormhole, they looked a little rattled but thankfully unharmed. Sam noted sadly that neither of the Special Forces men were with them, but then two others appeared from the event horizon and Sam got her second surprise in as many minutes.

Sam had more experience than most with parallel dimensions but seeing Carson Becket and Elizabeth Weir was most definitely a shock. With Jack close behind she walked briskly over to Shepherd.

He was speaking to Carson. 'When I heard that grenade go off…'

'You thought we opted for the hero's death? Not bloody likely.' Carson replied.

Sam raised an eyebrow when she caught Shepherd's eye. 'Briefing room?'

'Good idea.'

* * *

When they were all seated, Elizabeth began to recount the tale of what had happened to them in their own universe. Sam listened intently to the story of the black entity and the plague it caused and the theory that a second city-ship was hidden somewhere that held the knowledge to destroy the being, and when she was finished, Sam offered her apologies, as empty as they seemed.

'What we need to focus on now is this device,' McKay said, tapping on he object in front of him 'if it can lead us to a weapon we can use against the creature then we need to unlock that information, and quickly.'

'Actually, that's why we followed you.' Elizabeth explained resting, her elbows on the table - Sam saw the weariness in her stature, and again the burden of leadership came into her mind. 'There was a section of the encrypted code that we had decrypted, but it was completely nonsensical. What I realised during the fight is that the encrypted section wasn't text, it was an image. May I?' She looked to Sam, motioning to the lap top that lay on the desk in front of her.

Sam passed her the computer and Elizabeth swiftly connected the storage device to it. Then she took a USB flash drive and plugged it into the laptop. After a few moments of typing she looked up, a half-hearted smile on her face.

'I was right,' She turned the laptop for the rest of the room to see 'it wasn't text, it's the image of a Stargate Address.'

'That's for a Milky Way Gate,' McKay noted immediately 'it'd take weeks to get there even if the _Daedalus _or the _Apollo _were in orbit - which they're not.'

'And we probably don't have that much time.' Shepherd added.

'Then I suppose this will help.' Carson and reached into the rucksack, pulling out a ZPM from within. 'I thought it might come in handy on this side.'

'It certainly will.' McKay agreed, but Sam couldn't take her eyes off the Stargate address, there was something familiar about it nagging at the back of her mind. She didn't profess to remembering every Stargate address on the system but this one she was certain she had seen before.

'It's Ernest's planet,' she exclaimed when the answer dawned on her, drawing the attention of the entire group 'or at least it's very similar, only one chevron is different. Maybe it's in the same system, but a different planet.'

'That's where you think the second Atlantis is?' Jack asked. 'Because that's where SG1 is headed to do some research into this creature.'

'Well, Daniel did tell me he was working on the problem from the Milky Way, I guess he found a lead.' Sam said, casting her eyes towards the General.

'He played out a hunch,' Jack corrected 'and he had to offer up an Ori Warship as a bargaining chip to get Landry's approval.'

'Then there's a possibility they've already found the second city-ship?' Carson asked, hope in his eyes.

'More likely they ran into a whole galaxy of trouble,' Jack replied flippantly, but Sam knew better than to believe the façade 'Daniel's good at that.'

'Either way, we've got the means to support them and I suggest we use it.' Sam spoke to the whole group, they all looked tired, but determined. 'John, I know you and you're team have put in a lot of overtime already, but I need you to head out there and assist SG1 in any way you can.'

'Yes ma'am.' Shepherd replied instantly.

'A chance to study another Atlantis?' McKay sounded enthused. 'As long as I can grab a bite to eat first then I'm in.'

Ronon was silent for a moment, and Sam almost thought he would refuse, but then he looked her straight in the eyes. 'We've seen what this thing can do, and we have to stop it.'

'Good,' She turned to Elizabeth and Carson 'While they're searching we can work on the decryption of the data on the storage device.'

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably. 'Actually, I was hoping I could join John and his team in their search. I practically know all of the data we managed to get from the device by heart so I should be able to help them locate the second city-ship, and the more advanced decryption codes we haven't cracked are over my head.'

Sam thought it over, she was aware that the woman facing her was not the same Elizabeth Weir that had once lead the expedition that was now under her charge, but her eyes were resilient and unwavering. Evidently the alternate Elizabeth had undergone the same diplomatic training as the woman in Sam's universe. She looked to Jack, who gave the slightest of nods in agreement to Sam's own thoughts.

'Alright, you can go along with them.' Sam turned to Carson. 'And you?'

'My place is in a lab,' he sounded relieved that he wasn't immediately opted for the mission 'and I've had a lot of experience with this coding, if it's alright with you Colonel, I'd like to help.'

'I'd appreciate it.' Sam said and stood up, the others following suit. 'I'll get Zelenka to hook up the ZPM right away, be ready leave as soon as it's ready.'

The group began to move away, until only Jack was standing in the room with Sam. 'Is something wrong, sir?'

'Yes,' Jack replied 'I appear to have forgotten the way to the mess hall.'

Sam chuckled. 'I'll show you.' She said and began to lead the way.

* * *

As soon as he had stepped through the door, Mitchell felt as if he had entered a different world. Both the walls and ceiling were covered in vines from which bloomed flowers of every colour imaginable, so verdant that they may as well have been planted weeks ago despite the fact that this facility had been abandoned for thousands of years.

They had walked for several minutes, the dim lighting that emanated from the floor not allowing them to see any more than a few metres ahead.

'Don't you think this is a little creepy?' He asked Teal'c, who walked beside him. Vir, who moved slightly ahead of them at Mitchell's request had stayed silent during their journey, looking at the flowers in awe. 'These flowers should have died out millennia ago.'

'Are you suggesting that someone has been tending to them.' Teal'c asked back.

'I'm not sure,' Mitchell admitted 'we don't know a whole lot about these Furling guys, but it's possible they're still around, isn't it?'

Teal'c inclined his head in agreement. 'It is possible.'

They continued on in silence for a while until Vir turned back to face them. 'I see a door.'

Mitchell and Teal'c moved quickly to catch up with the Prior and saw the outline of the door in the dimness, and after a few more steps it was revealed fully, a silver door etched with writing that none of them could understand.

When they were close enough to touch the door, it swirled open in much the same way as the iris on the Earth Gate, permitting them access to the pitch black room behind it.

'Looks like we got the backstage pass.' Mitchell commented and moved forwards with his P90 raised 'Stay alert.'

When they had all stepped through the threshold, he heard the sound of the door sliding shut behind them, and for a heartbeat he expected some hidden booby trap to trigger and end their exploration, but instead a blue light emanated seemingly from nowhere. It traced through the air leaving a shining line in it's wake, drawing a complex tapestry before them of swirls and spirals.

The end product was an enormous diagram that Mitchell couldn't begin to comprehend, and as the lights in each corner of the chamber lit up simultaneously, he appreciated it's scope all the more.

The chamber was easily twice the size of the SGC Gate room and the diagram took up the entire room. As the diagram began to change colour from blue to green and then back again, the whole thing moved upwards and rested by the high ceiling, resonating it's glow across the chamber.

Mitchell found it difficult to tear his eyes away, but Teal'c's voice brought him back down. 'Colonel Mitchell, do you recognise that shape?'

He turned to the Jaffa in confusion. 'What shape?'

'There, in the corner of the diagram.' Teal'c replied, pointing towards the bottom right of the diagram. Mitchell followed his line, and he saw it. A symbol from the Gate was etched into the diagram.

'It's a map,' Mitchell said in disbelief 'a map of the galaxy.'

'Not just the galaxy, Colonel Mitchell, hundreds of them,' Vir said, gazing up at the blue lines 'I can recognise constellations of my own home over there.'

'Daniel's gonna be pissed he missed that.' Mitchell commented, examining the rest of the room. More flowers like the ones in the corridor lined the walls here, but beyond that and a small computer terminal standing in the centre of the chamber it was empty.

He was about to approach the terminal when the ground shook violently, almost knocking him off his feet. The shockwave stopped and Mitchell looked over at Teal'c, but the Jaffa looked as confused as he felt. A second shockwave erupted, and this time he was knocked over completely as sections of the chambers walls cracked and buckled.

He didn't want to leave this discovery so soon after he found it, but that was the third sign of an instability in the building, he pulled himself up. 'Let's head back to the library.' He ordered, hoping that if the four great races had protected anything in this complex with extra effort, that would be it.

* * *

'What happened to the information on the Beast that was deleted?' Daniel asked, still hoping to find what he felt they needed to stop this creature.

'Checking…' The woman said, and he image fizzed slightly 'there is an audio recording on file that you left here on the Salvation project. Would you like to hear it?'

'Wow, she really thinks you're Merlin.' Vala said.

'I guess so.' Daniel replied to her, then turned his attention back to the hologram. 'Yes, I'd like to hear it.'

There was a low buzzing sound and when the woman spoke again, it was with an elderly male voice. 'To any who survive, this is the final recording of the Keeper's of Excalibur. We have failed in our attempts to find the weapon to drive back the Beast, and the Redemption weapon is being prepared for use even as we speak, it will reseed life into this galaxy once we have fled-'

'The Dakara Superweapon,' Daniel guessed out loud.

'-but as our last effort, the Keepers have put into action Project Salvation. All of the information we have gathered has been removed from this database and sent through the Stargate to a dimension parallel to our own for safekeeping. We can only hope that in doing this we have given others a chance to find the data and stop the-'

The audio recording stopped abruptly as the room shook with tremendous force, causing Daniel to reach out for the console in front of him for support and Vala onto him. Next to them the hologram fizzed again more severely before disappearing entirely.

When the tremor passed, Vala moved quickly to one of the consoles and tapped a few buttons. 'Um, Daniel, we have a slight problem. And by slight I mean a great deal larger than slight.'

'What is it?' He asked, silently wondering what else could go wrong.

'The Ori ship is firing on our position.' Vala replied, tapping a few more buttons. 'A lot.'

'That's just great.' Daniel exclaimed and moved hastily over to another console, working through the menu to find anything that may help. 'Can you find any defence controls?'

'I can't understand much of it, all I can see is a blip shaped like the Ori Warship firing little dots at the blip in the middle.' She stopped and looked at Daniel thoughtfully. 'It looks like that delightful Asteroids game Mitchell showed me back on Earth.'

Daniel bit back a reply as the door to the Furling embassy opened and Mitchell, Teal'c and Vir entered the room at a run, moving towards Daniel.

'What the hell's going on?' Mitchell asked as another shockwave hit.

'The Ori Warship has opened fire on us,' Daniel answered, when the console in front of him suddenly changed to show a different screen. He was aware of Mitchell and Vala exchanging ideas as he studied the new information in front of him.

'I've got a diagnostic of the Space Gate.' Daniel announced as he interpreted the data.

'How does that help us?' Mitchell demanded gripping the console for support as the torrent of attacks continued unabated and debris showered from above them.

'It doesn't,' Daniel admitted 'mostly because this readout says that something came through it.'

'More company?' Mitchell asked in exasperation. 'Can you tell what came through?'

'No.' Daniel replied, and moved on from the readout, well aware that they needed more information that helped and not a list of further problems.

'Okay,' Daniel said as soon as he'd found what he was looking for, 'I've got a map of the facility, there's a hanger bay back the way we came from, beyond the room with the rings.'

'That was a dead end.' Vala pointed out, giving up studying her own console and moving over to look over Daniel's shoulder.

'Not according to this, their should be an access way behind-'

'Behind god knows how much solid rock.' Mitchell finished for him.

'Maybe the shockwaves knocked it out,' Daniel offered, knowing how unlikely it sounded, 'either way it's the best shot we've got. It's not going to take them long to level this place.'

'Alright, better crazy than dead,' Mitchell relented after a few moments 'let's move.'

Mitchell led the group back through the Ancient embassy door and they bolted down the corridor, with Daniel feeling a terrible loss of the library behind him, he'd barely begun to scratch the surface of what he had wanted to learn, and now the legions of the Beast were going to destroy it all.

'Was this corridor always this long?' Vala complained from beside him, but only a short sprint later they were through the door and into the chamber they had seen the first hologram.

When they were half way to the caved in wall Daniel noticed something on the ceiling and his blood froze. A shape was melting into the chamber from above, that looked like a black ascended being.

'Mitchell!' he shouted and began to fire up at the creature, but the bullets simply passed straight through it.

Mitchell, Teal'c and Vala joined the attack, but the creature didn't even slow down. It swept towards them and then passed over their heads, colliding instead with Vir, who had been standing behind SG-1, a look of absolute terror on his face.

The Beast entered Vir's body and the Prior gasped in pain, his body convulsing as if he was suffering from a severe electric shock. Then he screamed in agony, tearing at his own flesh in an attempt to claw out the Beast from within.

Vala moved to help him but Daniel caught her by the shoulder, halting her approach. She looked back at Daniel in anger and confusion, but he wasn't about to let her run head on into harm's way.

Vir's screams fell suddenly silent and his movements ceased. He stood with his shoulders sagged and his eyes closed, Vala pulled against Daniel's hand but he squeezed her shoulder, letting her know he still didn't think it was safe.

'What the hell just happened?' Mitchell demanded, keeping his gun trained on Vir's prone form.

Daniel didn't have an answer, and he didn't get a chance to give one even if he did. Vir opened his eyes, they were jet black and even looking into them made Daniel fell uneasy.

As they watched on, black lines began to appear all over Vir's face, much the same as the zombie crew aboard the Ori ship, except they smouldered, as if a fire was raging inside the young man's body and the lines served to release the smoke.

When he smiled, Daniel's insides turned to ice.

'At last, an entity worthy of my possession.' The voice was not Vir's, Daniel knew they were now talking to the Beast, and he subconsciously moved ahead of Vala. The Beast looked up at them and his eyes blazed. 'I will have my destruction.'

Black fire blazed at his fingertips and Daniel saw the attack coming. He grabbed Vala and dove out of the way as a blast of energy soared passed them, crashing into the wall behind and literally melting the stone.

As quickly as he could manage, Daniel pulled himself to his feet and risked a glance at Mitchell and Teal'c. They were both down, and he couldn't see the extent of any injuries they may have received from his vantage point. Then he checked on Vala, she lay motionless by his feet.

Then he turned back to the Beast, just in time to see the black fire burn around his hand once more, charging for another attack...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Daniel had stared death in the face so many times he had lost count, but it always felt the same. His heart pounded in his chest, his breathing was fast and shallow. All he saw was the malicious smirk on the Beast's face, the murderous gleam in his black hole eyes.

As the energy built up - ready to fire - Daniel hoped that his team mates would use this time to escape. But Vala wasn't moving, and he heard nothing of Teal'c and Mitchell behind him; all he heard was the rhythmic beats of his own heart.

Then another sound exploded from behind him and a bolt of red energy lanced across the room, hitting the Beast's outstretched arm and knocking his aim off. The black flames that erupted went wide, missing their intended target and crashing into a wall with shattering force.

Daniel stood dazed for a moment, then a torrent of bullets began raining onto the Beast, and although the bullets didn't seem to damage him, they were successful in halting his movements and Daniel used the window to lean down and pull Vala up, wrapping an arm around her waist as she groaned softly, only semi-conscious, with a trail of blood leading down her cheek from her hairline.

His only objective was to get her as far away from the Beast as possible, and he was surprised with how badly he wanted her to be safe. But he didn't have time to consider the point, he turned and half dragged her away, seeing that Mitchell and Teal'c were now standing and firing their own weapons.

Behind them, adding their own weapons fire to the fray, were Colonel Shepherd, Ronon Dex, Rodney McKay and - Daniel had to blink twice to confirm it - Elizabeth Weir. Daniel registered some shock at their appearance, but he thought of the Space Gate in orbit that had activated recently - it didn't explain everything but with survival at the top of Daniel's priorities, he'd wait for the answers.

'General O'Neill thought you might need a hand!' Shepherd shouted as he backed away towards the collapsed wall.

'He can be perceptive at times.' Teal'c replied over the gunshots.

Daniel glanced back at the Beast and saw him moving towards them slowly, less hampered by the bullets that were bouncing off his seemingly impenetrable skin. He and Vala made it through the hole in the wall first and were followed closely by the rest of SG1 and the Atlantis team.

When they were all through Ronon fiddled with his gun and fired above the hole in the wall. The rock exploded downwards and covered the hole, blocking the Beast's way.

'That should buy us some time.' Ronon announced gruffly.

'I doubt it.' Mitchell said, pointing a thumb at the enormous hole in the wall behind them that had been created when the Beast's first attack had missed it's target. 'He made that.'

'Then let's move fast,' Shepherd was already on the move 'we've got a Jumper through there. You guys need a lift?'

'We'd appreciate it.' Mitchell answered, already following his fellow Colonel into a tall, wide corridor that the Beast's blast had allowed them access to.

The entire group moved quickly through the corridor and Daniel could see the Jumper ahead. There was an explosion behind them and he knew it meant the Beast had broken through Ronon's makeshift barricade and was free to pursue them again, but they had already reached the Jumper and Shepherd bolted inside with Elizabeth to prep for launch.

'That was nice shooting back there.' Mitchell said appraisingly to Ronon, who kept his energy weapon trained on the entrance to the corridor.

'Not really,' Ronon replied, 'it was meant to take his arm off.'

When Shepherd called to them that the Jumper was ready to leave, the group headed inside and Daniel laid Vala down on one of the seats in the back before joining Shepherd and Mitchell in the cockpit.

As the Jumper rose from it's pad Daniel saw the Beast striding towards them, his arm outstretched and ready to deliver another wave of black fire at the craft. Evidently Shepherd had noticed the same thing because he opened up the Jumpers engines and pointed the nose skyward sharply.

'Everyone hold tight.' He warned as the craft accelerated out towards the hanger entrance.

'What the hell are you doing,' McKay asked angrily as he made his way to the cockpit 'this craft isn't designed to use that much thrust, if you had pushed it just a little more we would've all been toast.'

'But we're not Rodney,' Shepherd fired back 'now get back there and see if you can't help the injured lady, no one likes a back seat flyer.'

'Fine.' McKay muttered, and Daniel followed him to the aft. Now that they were out of immediate danger he wanted to make sure Vala was okay and was relieved to find her sitting up on one of the benches at the back of the Jumper with Teal'c and Ronon.

'-Well, aren't you boys a barrel of laughs.' It appeared that she was trying to talk with Ronon and Teal'c which, by the looks on their faces, they didn't particularly appreciate.

'She seems okay.' Rodney commented and Daniel was more than relieved to see he was right, she wore on her face a teasing smile.

'Oh this.' Vala pointed to the wound on her head. 'This is nothing, you should see the other guy.'

'We did.' Ronon said. 'Who was that?'

'The Beast.' Daniel answered, he wasn't exactly expecting much of a reaction, but Elizabeth turned to face him.

'That's the second time I've heard you use that phrase today.'

'Excuse me?' Daniel asked in confusion.

'Oh right,' McKay spoke up 'Dr. Jackson, this isn't the Elizabeth Weir you know, she's from a parallel universe, one that was attacked by this Beast creature, utterly destroyed.' Elizabeth's face fell and Daniel frowned at McKay, disappointed but not surprised by his lack of tact.

'How do you guys know about the Beast?' Daniel asked.

'As Rodney said, it attacked my home,' Elizabeth explained 'but you were the one that supplied the name.'

'Me?'

'We met you in the parallel universe,' McKay answered 'but you were still ascended, I guess we kind of owe you for saving our lives, you told us to take the Ancient device that would lead to a weapon that can destroy that thing and then vanished like -' he made a gesture with his hands 'poof, into thin air.'

'An Ancient device?' Daniel was instantly intrigued, the recording Merlin had left in the library had mentioned information that was vital to defeating the Beast being hidden in a parallel universe, and he dared to hope that the Atlantis team had already found it.

'Project Salvation.' He muttered, thinking aloud.

'That name was mentioned several times in the files on the device,' Elizabeth sounded shocked but enthused, 'how did you find out about it?'

'Back at the Ancient library,' Daniel explained, 'it was supposed to lead to a weapon that could be used against the Beast.'

'You said that too,' Ronon added, putting his feet up on the stool opposite 'I guess that's why they call them parallel universes.'

Daniel didn't have time to consider the fact fully, the ship rocked violently and Shepherd called out from the front. 'All right kids, we're cloaked but the Ori ship seems to know exactly where we are - this ride is gonna get a little rough.'

'A little rough?' McKay admonished as the ship shook again and he was thrown into a bulkhead. 'How could it possibly be anymore rough than this?'

'Well, they could blow us up.' Vala suggested innocently, but when all eyes fell on her smiled sheepishly. 'Right, not the time.'

Daniel moved to the cockpit and saw the familiar shape of the Ori Warship looming ahead of them through the viewport before Shepherd manoeuvred the Jumper and it flashed out of sight. But the Jumper violently shuddered again, the Ori ship wasn't going to be shaken off easily.

'Have you ever heard the expression; out of the frying pan into the fire?' Mitchell asked.

'No.' Ronon replied as he and McKay came to the cockpit. 'What does it mean?'

'It means we're screwed.' McKay supplied, and possibly for the first time since Daniel met the man, he agreed with him.

* * *

'Got anything yet?' Jack's voice cut through Sam's concentration and she looked up from her computer screen. He was standing in the doorway to the lab where she, Zelenka, Carson and a few other scientists were working on the encrypted files on the device.

'Well, what Carson and Elizabeth decrypted already is quite interesting,' she replied as he stepped further into the office. 'There is definitely mention of a second city-ship that's hidden somewhere in the same system as the Ancient Library.'

'Not the same planet?' Jack asked, taking a seat beside her.

'Apparently the city-ship is buried "in the fires that shine on knowledge",' Jack gave her a blank look 'we're not sure what that means yet. But we've also found some pretty complex equations that look very similar to the one's Merlin used to create Arthur's Mantle.'

'Oh, was that the thing that made you guys invisible?'

'Not quite,' Sam answered, 'it didn't just render the user invisible, but actually put them out of phase with this dimension.'

'Okay, so assuming that made sense to me, what does it mean for our search?'

'Well sir, I think it means the city-ship was put out of phase by the Ancient's in an effort to conceal it, and these equations will allow us to modify a Jumper to exist on that same phase.' She looked him in the face to make sure he was following her, he was. 'It's the only way we'll be able to find the second ship.'

'What is it with these guys,' Jack said with annoyance, 'did they never learn to share.'

'It's more than likely that they're trying to hide it from the enemy,' Sam explained, 'and from what I've read this project was highly restricted. There's mention in the files of a secret society known as the Keepers that were behind the construction of the ship.'

'I was wondering when the cloak and dagger stuff would show up.'

'Yeah, it seems like they worked out of the Library of the Four Races, and the group was made up of the best and brightest from all of the races, Asgard, Furling, Nox and Ancient.' Sam brought up another file and the schematics for a city-ship much like Atlantis came onto the screen.

'This is the second-city ship, sir, it's smaller than Atlantis and more heavily defended. Also, according to this schematic, the ship was created as a joint effort by all four races, it possesses an Ancient design, an Asgard power source, Nox defences and Furling engines. This makes the city-ship -'

'Animus,' Carson blurted out, interrupting Sam's explanation, 'the second city-ship's name is Animus.'

'Animus, huh?' Jack said sarcastically, 'seems like they had as much of a penchant for exciting names as we do.'

Sam turned to face the General with a bemused look on her face. 'Sir?'

'All I asked was for one of our ships to be named _Homer_.' Jack explained.

'I don't think a cartoon character is a fitting name for a warship, sir.' Sam said, but she couldn't hold back a small smile.

'Well that's not what I meant.' Jack feigned defensiveness. 'Didn't you know that Homer wrote the Odyssey, and we named a ship after that.'

'Colonel Carter, I've got something.' Zelenka called from the back of the room. Sam raised her eyebrows to Jack and he indicated for her to lead the way. They moved over to Zelenka who was looking up at them and then back down to the screen in front of him.

'What is it?' Sam asked.

'I've managed to adapt the encryption program to decrypt one of the deeper files stored on the device,' Zelenka explained 'it contains some information on the enemy that Dr. Beckett faced in his home dimension.'

'Such as?' Jack sounded impatient but Sam knew he was always this way around science.

'It mentions a ship, one that the creature must find to carry out it's plans.'

'What plans?' Sam asked, moving closer to examine the data herself.

'There is an explanation of a weapon that the ship carries that, when fired into the heart of a black hole, will boost the singularities power to pull everything into it.'

'Everything?' Carson asked, moving over to join them.

'Yes. Suns, planets, entire galaxies will be drawn into the black hole, the resulting explosion would be enormous.'

Sam finished reading the text. 'Enormous is right. That explosion would destroy this universe and simultaneously kick start the creation of another.' She turned to Jack. 'Sir, we're talking about an artificially created Big Bang.'

Jack seemed to mull that over, 'Well, as far as things go, that's pretty high on the bad scale, isn't it?'

* * *

The Jumper rocked again, and Daniel was slammed into the bulkhead, seeing stars. The Ori ship was continuing to track their position despite the fact that the ship was cloaked, and although Shepherd's flying had kept them from being completely destroyed, he couldn't keep it up for long.

'They're cutting us off from the Gate,' Shepherd announced as he wrestled with the controls, 'and if they do that our choices are down to zero.'

'Haven't we got anything to shoot back?' Mitchell shouted, moving his hands away from the console in front of him as sparks exploded from it.

'Firing the probes at that thing would be like throwing dust at an alligator,' Shepherd responded, turning the Jumper sharply and barely avoiding another blast of the Ori ship, 'we'd probably just piss it off.'

'I think I know why the cloak isn't working.' McKay called from the back. 'There's a low level sub space signal coming from the Jumper. Thing is, it's exactly the same as the one that we saw linking the bodies the Beast reanimated.'

Daniel considered this, and realised where the signal was coming from. 'It's me.' He said 'The signal is coming from me, must be a side effect of getting grabbed by one of the Beast's legions.'

'One of those things grabbed you?' McKay asked in disbelief.

'That can't be it.' Ronon added, 'When Yates was grabbed he changed instantly.'

'Well, Jackson's got friends in ascended places.' Mitchell explained as the Jumper rocked again.

'How does knowing about the signal help us now, McKay?' Shepherd asked in irritation.

'It doesn't,' McKay admitted, 'but-'

'Head back down to the planet,' Daniel cut in, thinking on his feet, 'drop me off down there and make your escape. If I'm not on board they won't be able to track the Jumper when it's cloaked.'

'That's not going to happen, Jackson.' Mitchell assured him.

'Hang on, something's happening.' Shepherd announced, 'Another ship just appeared in-system. I don't know who it is but they've opened up on the Ori Ship, they've stopped shooting our way.'

Daniel looked out of the viewport and saw the truth in Shepherd words. The Ori warship had turned away from them and was now concentrating all of it's firepower on a ship nearly half it's size.

The unknown ship was an impressive sight, the bow curved like a knife blade, and it was bristling with weapons. In the middle of the super structure two small fins fanned out on either side, and the glare of engines blazed at the aft.

Every time the Ori beam weapon fired, the blasts were cut short by a red shimmering energy shield that even after several direct hits showed no signs of failing. But the unknown ship's weapons were having an effect, multiple salvos of green energy exploded from it's foremost cannons, slamming into the Ori ship with impressive force.

'We have to get us one of those.' Mitchell breathed as one of the ships weapons exploded into the Ori ship and went straight through it's spent shields, rupturing part of the hull. Daniel heard a collective sigh of relief from everyone in the Jumper as the Ori ship turned away, still being fired upon as it made a jump to hyperspace.

The silence that followed was thick, and Daniel was sure everyone was wondering - as he was - if this new ship was a friend or foe. McKay was the first to voice his concerns.

'So the question is; did we just go out of the fire and into the solar flare?'

No one had an answer for him, but then the comm. unit crackled and a female voice came through it. 'Alteran ship, I repeat, this is Prime Strategos Seria of the Furling fleet - are you in need of assistance?'

Daniel just stared at the speaker, unable to comprehend what he had just heard.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Shepherd stared out of the viewport at the Furling ship as it drifted silently through the emptiness of space, and then back in the cabin at Daniel, whose jaw had very nearly hit the floor.

'You know these guys?' He asked, and it took the archaeologist a few moments to register the question.

'Not personally, no.' He replied, still staring in disbelief at the ship. 'But they were the fourth race of the intergalactic alliance with the Ancients, Nox and Asgard. All we've ever actually seen of them was some writings down on the planet, we just figured they'd died out over the millennia.'

'Not dead.' Mitchell commented, he still sounded in awe at the impressive force the Furlings had shown against the Ori.

'So, what do we do?' McKay asked, 'They seem to think we're Ancients, which would assume they don't know that they all ascended - but what about when they find out we're just human?'

'Just human? I resent that.' Shepherd responded, shooting McKay a look of disapproval.

'You know what I mean.' McKay replied sharply.

Truth be told, Shepherd did know what he meant. He tried to imagine how he would react if he contacted a ship like the _Apollo_ and found it inhabited by a bunch of aliens he'd never encountered before. It would be likely there would be guns involved somewhere along the line.

'We look like them, don't we?' Vala put forward, 'Maybe they won't even notice the differences.'

'Not likely,' McKay answered, turning to the young woman, 'for all we know a civilisation that advanced could easily scan life signs and detect the differences in race within seconds, we know the Ancient's had started working with that sort of technology.'

'But wouldn't they have done that by now?' Vala retorted, and when Shepherd saw that look on McKay's face he always got when he was being challenged, he hid a smirk. Beside him, Mitchell was doing the same.

'Well - probably,' McKay relented with a shrug 'but maybe they have something that can only scan on board.'

Shepherd considered the point, and found it to be moot. 'Either way,' he explained, 'we're no match for that ship in this little Jumper. If they're not a threat, fine - if they are, we probably stand a better chance in a ground battle.'

'_If_ it comes to that.' Daniel added, making it clear that a battle was the last thing he wanted.

'It always does.' Ronon said from the back, still sitting lazily on the bench.

'Why don't we just make a run for the Gate?' Vala suggested.

'No, we'd never make it if they moved against us.' Shepherd replied, the same idea had been on his mind, but he'd seen how their ship moved and he knew the capabilities of the Jumper - they were completely out-manoeuvred.

'In any case,' Daniel said, 'they might hold pivotal information on the Beast that we don't have, and after the beating the Ori gave the library, I'm not sure we'll be able to get back there.'

Shepherd had to admit that Daniel had a point, and the other four races that he knew of - the Ancients and the Asgard - were civilised people and had allied themselves with the human race. He didn't know a great deal about the Nox, but he'd read a report that had described them as peaceful to a fault.

'Yeah, we have another problem.' McKay stated with a grimace after looking down at his laptop, 'I've just run a diagnostic on the Jumper's systems, the onboard DHD has been damaged and we're leaking atmosphere. I can fix it, but it'll take more time than we can last out here.'

'Well, that settles it.' Shepherd concluded, and the comm. buzzed again.

'Alteran ship, please respond, this is…'

'So, who's going to speak to them?' McKay asked as the voice repeated its previous message.

Mitchell sighed, then leaned forwards and activated the comm. 'Furling ship, this is the Alteran ship…' he looked at the group and shrugged. Shepherd saw McKay mouth a suggestion and rolled his eyes, but Mitchell when with it anyway.

'Enterprise,' Mitchell continued with a grimace, 'thank you for the assistance, our ship was badly damaged in the fight and any help you can provide would be welcome.'

'Certainly,' Seria replied 'we are opening the hanger bay doors, and you have clearance to land.'

'Well folks,' Shepherd said as he eased on the thrusters, 'let's not keep them waiting.'

* * *

The Jumper landed smoothly on the hanger deck, and Daniel's excitement at meeting the Furlings after all of this time was hampered by a shooting pain that flared through his arm. It had begun during the battle with the Ori ship, but he couldn't recall hitting his arm during the fight.

He tried to hide his pain as the joint Atlantis and SG1 team prepared to disembark onto the Furling ship, and he caught Ronon's arm as he raised his energy weapon to point towards the door at the back of the Jumper.

'That won't be necessary.' Daniel assured him.

'I set it to stun.' Ronon rationalised.

'Ronon, we don't want to start an incident,' Shepherd looked the warrior in the eyes 'just be ready if there is one.'

Ronon held his position for a moment then relented, holstering the weapon. 'Alright.' He said with a small shrug.

Mitchell, who stood at the front of the group with Teal'c, pressed the door release and they slid open to reveal the wide hanger. Standing a few feet away was a woman that looked quite human aside from skeletal ridges along her cheeks and forehead.

It wasn't until the entire team had left the Jumper that Daniel - and the others, judging by the look on their faces - realised just how different the Furlings were. Behind the woman's back were two white feathered wings. In their dormant position folded behind her back they were barely visible from the front, but Daniel could imagine that they would be large enough to carry her when outstretched.

'Welcome aboard the _Fragarach_. I'm Prime Strategos Seria.' She said with a smile.

'It's a pleasure,' Shepherd returned, 'I'm Colonel Shepherd, and these are…' As Shepherd gave introductions for the members of his group, Daniel's mind was focused on the name of the ship. He had heard the word before in the Celtic mythology of Earth, it was the name of a sword known also known as 'The Retaliator' and he wondered if the Furlings may have had some influence over that part of Earth's history.

When Shepherd had finished the introductions, Seria bowed her head to the group in greeting and ushered them forwards. 'We have arranged quarters for you all so that you may rest and recuperate, our scans show that several of you are injured, and that you are all fatigued.' Daniel caught the smug look McKay gave to Vala.

'Not that we aren't grateful,' Elizabeth said in measured tones, 'but how did you know we were under attack.'

'There is an automated distress beacon within the structure of the Library,' Seria replied, 'when it was set off, we came here as quickly as we could.'

'Quickly is right,' McKay commented, 'you must have been nearby.'

'No.' Seria answered after a pause, but didn't elaborate. Daniel thought of pressing the issue but decided against it.

They moved swiftly through the hanger to an access hatch that allowed them access to the ship proper. Daniel took in every detail as they passed through winding corridors, noting the amount of vegetation that adorned the walls.

'Just like the hallway to the embassy.' Mitchell noted, and Daniel gave him a quizzical look. 'That's right, you missed it. All these flowers covered the walls and when we got to the embassy there was this enormous glowing map of the entire universe.'

'Ah, you saw the Lines of Existence,' Seria said from the front as they turned another corridor, 'it was and still is a masterpiece created by our explorers when we created our first map of the Galactic Ley Lines.'

'Excuse me? Ley Lines?' Daniel asked, not believing what he had heard.

'There a problem?' Mitchell asked.

'Not exactly,' Daniel replied, 'but we have a Ley Line theory back on Earth. They're supposed to be lines of mythical energy than run through the planet, lines on which ancient civilisation built their most important monuments such as Stonehenge in England or the Nazca Lines in Peru.'

'Nonsense.' McKay scoffed.

'Not so.' Seria said seriously, 'After all, would you have believed your ancestor's Stargate to exist before you found it for yourselves?'

'Our ancestors?' Daniel repeated.

'We know you are not Alteran.' Seria replied, her tone did not sound threatening, 'Although the Furling people have detached from this galaxy, we were always aware of it. When the Alteran's fled and ascended, we continued to watch the life they had seeded take root and blossom.'

'Never thought to step in with the Goa'uld, hmm?' Vala said icily.

'It was not our place,' Seria responded without taking offence, 'when you let something grow, uprooting the weeds is the easiest solution but more weeds will reveal themselves in the wake of the last. If you let the flowers bloom and grow strong enough to survive the weeds without interference, they will be all the better for it.'

'Look at yourselves,' she continued, 'as vile as they were, the Goa'uld created the vast network of your race across the galaxy - without that you would not be out here amongst the stars.'

'You're say they're tyranny of the galaxy was a good thing?' Daniel asked sceptically.

'I'm saying that existence sometimes has a design you may not be able to perceive right away.' Seria responded and stopped in a corridor lined with doors. 'These are your rooms, I will leave you to rest for a while, I have some business to attend to but I shall send for you in a while.' With that she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Daniel and the others staring after her at the white wings on her back.

'So, what now?' Elizabeth asked.

'Well, I'm exhausted.' McKay replied, already heading towards the nearest room, 'I hope they're planning to feed us.'

'I think some rest would be a good idea,' Mitchell agreed, and Daniel noticed the Colonel's eyes flick over in his direction. The plague he now carried had not been forgotten.

The rest of the group gave their approval and headed to the separate rooms, so Daniel did the same. The room was nothing special, and was just big enough for the cot and a chair. There was a viewport from which he could see the Library Planet, a fist sized ball of colour in the vast emptiness of space.

Now that he was alone, he tentatively rolled up the left sleeve of his combat shirt, where he was still experiencing a pain that pulsated up and down the limb. He sat heavily on the bed and examined his arm, eyes widening when he saw that from wrist to elbow a black line had emerged from his skin where a vein had been.

_I'm saying that existence sometimes has a design you may not be able to perceive right away._ As he laid on the bed with heavy lids, Daniel hoped that Seria's words would prove true, the Beast was an enemy that seemed unstoppable - and the plague it brought was slowly taking him over.

His thoughts grew darker as he closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain of the disease spreading from his arm. Although unsuccessful in that venture, his fatigue proved too great and he fell away into sleep.

* * *

When Daniel opened his eyes he knew instinctively that he wasn't awake. His surroundings were dark, a murky fog hanging low to the ground. Beyond that there was nothing, no buildings, no sky - only a deeply oppressive silence that chilled his bones.

He heard footsteps and looked for the source, spotting a figure cloaked in the darkness only a few feet away from him. Unlike when he had been met by Skaara, he felt apprehension from the figure and when the man came into view, he knew why.

The Beast smiled coldly, but Daniel saw surprise in his shadowy eyes as he caught sight of Daniel that disappeared as quickly as it had risen.

'You should not be here.' The Beast uttered, it was clearly a threat.

'Probably not,' Daniel agreed, his mind racing to figure out how he had gotten to this place, 'and - trust me - if I knew how to leave, I would.'

'Perhaps death will see you on your way.' The Beast suggested, but he made no move to attack, a fact that Daniel took note of with interest and relief.

'For the longest time, I thought you would be my host on the lower plane,' The Beast continued after Daniel's lack of response. 'but you have grown weaker since last we met. From what I understand you lost your Ascension for a single planet.'

Daniel remembered Skaara telling him that he had confronted the Beast before on the ascended plane, and he wished he could remember what had occurred. Any information would give them the edge and all Daniel really knew about that time was that he had come away from it infected by the plague.

When his thoughts turned to the plague, a revelation came to him. 'It's the subspace signal, that's why I'm here. It's been reversed somehow.'

The Beast clapped his hands condescendingly, 'Very clever, for the all the good it will do you.' He took a few steps towards Daniel. 'This universe will crumble and burn. It is only a matter of time.'

'I've heard that before,' Daniel scoffed, speaking with a confidence he didn't feel, 'but destruction won't bring you anything.'

'Destruction proceeds creation,' The Beast explained, moving ever closer, 'that is the one truth of the universe - a truth that no being as small and insignificant as yourself could even begin to understand.'

'Is that some kind of warped justification?' Daniel asked, a fire lighting inside of him, despite the obvious danger.

'Justification?' The Beast's smile made Daniel go cold, 'I have no need to justify myself, I have obliterated entire civilisations in the past four years, since my release from my frozen imprisonment within the Alteran girl. I have been searching for the ship that can devour this universe and now I know where it is.'

Daniel wasn't sure what he meant about the ship, but after the Atlantis team's mission to the alternate universe was proof enough that the Beast wasn't lying about destroying civilisations.

'Why?' Daniel asked quietly, more out of reflex than the desire for an answer.

'The act is reason in itself.' The Beast smirked. 'You should thank me. Without my destruction your race wouldn't even exist.'

'What?!'

The Beast was upon Daniel before he could react. His hand squeezed the archaeologist's neck with crushing force and he fixed Daniel with a steely gaze. 'When I destroyed the last universe, this one was created. The cycle must continue, and it will not halt for a simple creature like you.'

* * *

Vala was bored, and incredibly worried. It wasn't a good combination. She'd tried to sleep for an hour or so but she couldn't. She paced her small room continually, her mind fixed on trying to find a solution to Daniel's infection, but no answer came.

She cared for all of her team mates, even being part of something like that had been alien not that long ago and she held onto it dearly. But with Daniel that feeling had grown exponentially, and she considered the last time he had been in this situation, with the thoughts of Merlin imprinted on his mind.

Mitchell had told her then that the hardest part of being in SG1 wasn't risking her own life, but watching others risk theirs, and he had been dead right. Vala took one more look at the cot, considering rest, but resigned the idea as impossible and headed for the door.

She went directly to Daniel's cabin and knocked on the door. There was no reply. She knocked again and got the same result and was about to leave him to sleep when she heard a strangled cry from within.

Vala swiped the door control with haste and rushed into the room, immediately setting her eyes on Daniel, who lay writhing and choking in his cot. His eyes were closed but he was trying to speak, seemingly unable to do so with any coherence.

'Daniel!' Vala exclaimed as she sat on the bed, taking hold of his wrists to stop his movement. It was then that she noticed the black vein running across his left arm, a sign of the plagues progress.

Her heart raced as she tried to calm him, repeating his name soothingly. Her hand reached out and found his, she entwined his fingers in her own and squeezed gently.

Somehow, that simple act seemed to help and Daniel's thrashing ceased. His eyes remained closed but his breathing became more regular. Vala tentatively touched his face with her other hand to find his skin was burning up.

Her worry had reached critical mass and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes; what if this was it? What if Daniel was going die right here in front of her?

When she turned to call the others, she felt a slight pressure on her hand and realised that Daniel was squeezing back. When she looked at him his eyes were open and glassy and his face was full of fear.

'Vala. He croaked, trying to sit up. Vala was suddenly aware that she was stroking his cheek and withdrew her hand in embarrassment, when she tried to pry her hand from his, Daniel held on tighter, not letting her go.

'Are you alright?' The question sounded hollow, but she didn't know what else to say.

'I'm getting there,' He replied, and looked at her with a glimmer of something in his eyes she had never seen before, 'thanks for being here.'

'You're welcome.' Vala replied simply, holding eye contact as a warm silence enveloped the room. All she could focus on was Daniel's hand in her own, the touch of his skin reassured her that he was going to be okay.

The sound of someone clearing their throat came from behind and Vala turned to see Teal'c standing in the doorway. He had a strange smile on his lips that Vala couldn't place. It was the kind of smile, Vala thought, that showed the satisfaction of knowing something that others didn't.

She regretfully let go of Daniel's hand and turned to Teal'c. 'Vala Mal Doran,' he said, 'We have been summoned by Prime Strategos Seria.' Beside them Daniel had risen from his bed, but he still looked incredibly weak from whatever ordeal he had faced.

'Shouldn't you rest?' She asked him.

'No,' he said, and Vala noticed that whatever had been in his eyes had vanished, replaced with focus and determination, 'I have something I need to share with everyone.'


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

General Landry finished reviewing the data that had been sent by Atlantis and grimaced. The news was bleak, and he still hadn't heard from SG1. Not that he'd expected anything from them soon, they were instructed to contact home when they found the means and there was no telling when that would be.

This creature disturbed him greatly, especially when he'd read the reports of the devastation in the alternate universe. His mind yearned - if only for a few moments - for the days when coming to work everyday didn't leave the fates of galaxies on his shoulders.

He stopped that line of thinking, this was important work he'd been entrusted with and he wasn't about to let it get away from him. He told himself that the best the Milky Way had to offer was out there working on the problem and they had now been joined by the best of Pegasus. No worries.

'Unscheduled off-world activation.' The alert came over the PA system and Landry got up from his desk, moving out quickly to the dialing room and arriving just as the final alarm wailed.

Walter looked up from his post. 'We've got Master Bra'tac's IDC, sir.'

'Open the iris.' Landry commanded.

Walter complied and Landry made his way down to the Gate room proper. Bra'tac and three other Jaffa were descending the ramp and he met them at the bottom.

Bra'tac bowed his head, and Landry returned the gesture. 'Master Bra'tac, it's a pleasure to see you again.'

'And you, General Landry,' Landry could see that something was wrong, it was written all over the aged Jaffa's face, 'but I am afraid I bring grave news.'

Landry wasn't surprised, 'What's wrong?'

'A plague has swept through several of the worlds controlled by the Free Jaffa Nation,' Bra'tac explained, 'nothing we have tried has stopped the spread of the infection but worse - when the disease kills its victims, the dead have risen and taken up arms against their Jaffa brothers and sisters.'

'Is this disease marked with black veins?' Landry asked, but he was certain he already knew the answer.

Bra'tac looked surprised. 'Yes, those were initial symptoms.'

'SG1 are out there looking for the solution and we've got our best people in Atlantis following up on some leads, but I haven't heard any good news yet,' Landry began to lead Bra'tac's entourage out of the Gate room and towards the briefing room 'you were on the top of our list of need-to-knows when we came up with anything solid.'

'I hope they can find something soon. The dead have taken four Ha'tak vessels and escaped to hyperspace, we do not know where they were going.'

'Four?' Landry tried to take the news in his stride, 'You think they're building a fleet?'

'It is possible,' Bra'tac replied as they reached the briefing room and Landry motioned for him and the other Jaffa to sit, 'we have heard stirrings that the Lucian Alliance remnants have been hit by the same infection, and even some of the remaining Goa'uld. If they have taken ships from all of them as well then we will be facing an impressive force.'

'Let's hope we're not,' Landry said, 'but if that is the case then we may need to pool our resources to fight back. Until then we can only hope that SG1 can turn up the intelligence we need to fight back effectively.

Bra'tac nodded in agreement, and as they went into making plans General Landry could almost feel the galaxy coming apart at the seams around him. Four Ha'tak ships was bad enough without the threat of more converting every day.

Whatever the creature's purpose, Landry had the feeling a war was coming.

* * *

McKay waited for a few moments, and then the Jumper's DHD registered the Space Gate. He had some concerns that they wouldn't be able to dial back out to Atlantis from the Milky Way end but after running some tests he had discovered that wouldn't be a problem.

This particular Space Gate was equipped with it's own in-built ZPM, obviously the Ancient's that used it wanted to make sure they could access any other Gate from this position. It seemed like a good plan, considering this planet was the very heart of their intergalactic alliance.

From beside him, Shepherd sat up, 'Are we ready?'

'Almost,' McKay replied as he began dialling for Atlantis, 'the ship is close enough to the Gate but whether we get a connection is down to how much power is left in the ZPM.'

While SG1 and Elizabeth were heading to the meeting with Seria, McKay, Shepherd and Ronon had opted to contact Atlantis on the progress of their mission, and discover whether Sam and the others had managed to gain any useful intelligence from the Ancient storage device.

'Here we go.' McKay announced as he pressed down on the final button.

There was a slight pause but then the computer registered an active wormhole. Shepherd tapped in their IDC code and waited for a radio connection.

'Colonel Shepherd, you're early - what's happened?' Sam asked over the radio.

Shepherd explained the details of their mission so far, from flying to the Library planet and rescuing SG1 from the now corporeal Beast, to their hasty retreat and space battle to being saved by the Furling ship. When he was finished, there was a short pause.

'…Did you say Furlings?' Sam asked.

'Yes he did,' McKay cut in before Shepherd could reply, 'and their level of technology is absolutely astounding. They had the Ori out-gunned without even using half of their capabilities. These guys are so far over our heads they can barely see us.'

'Furlings?' Now it was General O'Neill's voice coming from the radio, 'they're not… cute and fuzzy are they?'

'No sir,' Shepherd replied with a bemused grin, 'but we think they can help with the current situation. SG1 and Elizabeth are in conference with the ship's commander now.'

'We've had a little breakthrough of our own,' Sam replied, 'the device you recovered has given us some information on a ship the Beast plans to use that can destroy the entire universe.' McKay didn't reply for a moment, letting that fact sink in. Beside him he could tell Shepherd and Ronon were doing the same.

'Are you still there?' O'Neill asked.

'Yes sir,' Shepherd replied, finding his voice first, 'it's just - the entire universe? That's upped the stakes a little bit.'

'Not only that,' Sam's voice was grave, 'we've also received a message from Earth that the Beast is forming a fleet of warships crewed by the infected. All available resources are being used to track them down but it's a big galaxy.'

Ronon leaned forwards, 'What about the weapon?'

'That's still work in progress I'm afraid,' Sam answered, McKay could hear the disappointment in her voice, 'we know the city ship was called Animus by it's creators, but it's location is hidden in riddles. Although I'm fairly certain that it was put out of phase with our dimension, I've been working with Zelenka and using some of the data we gained from the device to allow a Jumper's cloaking shield to shift it's phase instead, we've tried and tested the adjustments successfully.'

'Even if you've got the cloaking shield outputting a phase shift there are countless degrees it could be tuned to, finding the right one would take lifetimes.'

'We already have that variable,' Sam explained, 'it was part of the equations stored on the device.'

'So, what's the plan?' Shepherd asked.

'We'll bring the Jumper to you.' Sam replied, 'Also I want Daniel to take a look at this phrase,' McKay jotted it down when she said it, 'it's a hint to Animus' location, and riddles are more his field than mine.'

Beside McKay, Shepherd shifted uncomfortably. 'I'm sure he'll be able to help, but there's something I didn't mention. During their fight aboard the Ori ship, Dr. Jackson was infected by the Beast's plague.' He paused, his mouth set grimly. 'I'm sorry, Sam.'

'Understood.' It was O'Neill that spoke first. 'We'll be with you soon.'

* * *

'The cycle must continue, huh?' Mitchell said when Daniel had finished explaining his encounter with the Beast. 'That doesn't sound good.'

'No, it doesn't.' Daniel replied. They were sitting around a large metal table on a platform overlooking the bridge of the _Fragarach_, above them the ceiling was transparent, the system's star pouring light onto the table. 'The Beast was implying that not only does he intend to destroy this universe, but he's destroyed others in the past.'

'It is an enemy of all life.' Seria said solemnly, 'But I am not surprised that the Beast see's you as an enemy to be counted Dr. Jackson.'

Daniel frowned, not understanding, 'Why?'

'I have contacted the Furling Council, and they have confirmed my suspicions. You said the Beast mentioned a ship that could devour the universe and such a vessel does exist.' She paused and let that sink in. 'We are holding it for protection in our home galaxy, at your request, Dr. Jackson.'

'Mine?'

'When you were ascended you visited the Council,' Seria continued, 'to warn us of the Beast; a foe we had thought long since destroyed by the Alterans. You gave us the co-ordinates of the ship and a gemstone that is needed to activate the weapon that can stop him.'

'I'm sorry, I don't remember anything from the time I was ascended.' Daniel admitted, suddenly finding himself wishing that wasn't the case. 'But if you have this gemstone, why not use it to activate the weapon yourself?'

'Because we don't know where it is.' Seria answered, 'The Alterans hid all of the data pertaining to the weapon's location too well.'

Daniel nodded in agreement, Project Salvation had been hidden in a completely different universe, and nearly all references to it were erased from the Library of the four races.

'We're searching for the weapon now,' Elizabeth said 'and we know that it's in this system somewhere. But if you're right, we'll need the gemstone to activate it.'

Seria nodded, 'I agree, and so do the Council,' she looked at Daniel, 'that is why they have extended an invitation for you to accompany me back to our home galaxy to retrieve it.'

'And where would that be, exactly?' Vala asked.

Seria pressed a switch on the table in front of her, 'That's what we saw in the Embassy.' Mitchell said when a hologram appeared above the centre of the table depicting hundreds of intertwining blue lines.

'Yes, these are the Lines of Existence.' Seria confirmed, she pressed a few more buttons and a section in the lower right corner of the hologram flashed red, 'this is where we are now - and this,' a section in the top right flashed green, 'is where the Furlings now reside.'

'You weren't kidding when you said you weren't from close by.' Mitchell said, and Daniel had to agree. If this was indeed a map of the universe then the Furling galaxy couldn't be further from the Milky Way. 'How did you get here so fast?'

'We travel the Lines,' Seria answered, 'much of their power is hidden in mysteries that my people have long sought to unfold, but many years ago we discovered that they can provide instantaneous travel between any location.'

'That's good.' Daniel replied, 'because the Beast told me he knows where the ship is, and that means your entire civilisation is under threat.'

'I understand that,' Seria's voice sounded calm, but Daniel could hear fear beneath that, 'which is why we must leave immediately.'

McKay entered the room before Daniel could reply. 'You can't go yet. Sam and General O'Neill are on their way here, they've made a breakthrough in the location of the second city-ship and they're heading over here now.' He explained his conversation with Sam and Jack, then repeated the phrase in Ancient to Daniel.

'It means "in the fires that shine on knowledge".' Daniel replied.

'I know what it means,' McKay sounded offended. 'I just don't know what it _means_.' He handed Daniel the piece of paper with the phrase written on it.

Daniel studied the words, trying to decipher what they could mean, and then it hit him. 'The word knowledge is similar to the word library, and the fires…' he trailed off, and looked up through the viewport, when he looked back at the table every face was on him.

'It's the sun. They hid Animus inside the sun.'

'In the sun?' Elizabeth asked in disbelief, 'Is that even possible.'

'It is if Animus is out of phase,' McKay answered, 'the heat and radiation wouldn't effect it at all, and no one without the exact phase gradient would be able to find it. It's perfect.'

'Well, I wouldn't want to play hide and seek with the Ancients.' Mitchell commented. 'But we have our destination, we'll head out as soon as Sam and O'Neill arrive.'

'We still need that gemstone,' Daniel pointed out, 'I'll accompany Seria to the Furling galaxy.'

'I'll go too.' Vala said, Daniel thought of asking her to stay, after all the Beast was about to attack, but he had seen that look in her eyes before. No amount of arguing would dissuade her.

'As will I.' Teal'c volunteered.

'Then it's settled,' Seria said, 'we will wait until your vessel arrives before we leave.' With that she stood and left the room.

'You sure you're up to this?' Mitchell asked Daniel.

To honest Daniel wasn't sure. The pain of Clades Atra was continually spreading through him and growing more fierce, but he wasn't going to lie back and do nothing.

'Even if I can't remember it, I brought this danger to them,' he replied, 'I've got a responsibility to stop the Beast.'


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

In his room aboard the _Fragarach_, Daniel sifted through the information on the device dubbed by the Ancients as Project Salvation.

While Jack and Sam were being introduced to Seria he had taken the device to study. Time was of the essence at this point but he decided to use the short window he was provided with to search the database for any mention of a cure for the Clades Atra.

Although most of the data had been decrypted by the scientists at Atlantis, Daniel had found nothing yet that pointed to a cure. Most of the information on the device explained the symptoms of the disease and it's connection to the Beast, information of which Daniel was already painfully aware.

Disheartened, he closed the lid of his laptop to find Jack leaning against the door frame to his room.

'Hey Daniel.' Jack said, strolling into the room, his hands in his pockets.

'Hi Jack.'

'I hear you're doing that thing again.'

'What thing?' Daniel asked, removing his glasses to rub his eyes; they'd grown sore after staring at text for too long.

'Oh, you know… the dying thing.' Jack replied airily, Daniel wasn't offended by his tone, it was just Jack's way.

'Yeah, I'm looking for a way to stop that.'

'Good, good.' Jack stopped and regarded Daniel, his face suddenly serious. 'Is there anything I can do?'

'Thanks, but I don't think so.' Daniel replied, 'I've looked through the device but there's nothing there.'

Jack nodded, 'I hear Skaara's in your corner, he's a good kid.'

Daniel replaced his glasses, 'Did you want something?'

'Yeah, I wanted to make sure my buddy Daniel wouldn't go off ascending any time soon,' Jack answered,

'It's definitely not part of the plan.'

'I'm glad to hear it,' Jack replied with a nod ' oh, and Sam's got something she wants to share.' He motioned with his hands when Daniel didn't get up. 'Come on.'

Daniel followed Jack out of the room and into the hall, his spirit's lifted a little at seeing his old friend. Some people found him to be aloof, but Jack's flippancy at the serious nature of his disease had eased the stress, if only a little.

When they reached McKay's room, everyone else was already assembled. 'Oh good, you're here.' Sam said, 'I've been looking into the subspace signal that links the people controlled by the Beast, and I think it's the key to halting the disease.

'From what I've seen, the Ancient's tried to treat Clades Atra like a disease, with medicine and gene therapy.' She looked at Daniel. 'I think the answer lies with science. More specifically with an opposing signal that will block the one the disease transmits.'

'Jam the disease?' Mitchell sounded sceptical.

'It makes sense,' McKay replied, 'I've seen some of the data myself and the growth of the disease is intrinsically linked with the subspace signal. One can't last without the other.'

'Well here's a thought,' Shepherd spoke up, 'if you can perfect this signal, can it be used as a weapon?'

'Theoretically,' Sam said, 'but we haven't got time to do the necessary research. I'll send the raw data I've assembled to Zelenka and maybe when we reach Animus, they'll be equipment there we can use.'

'Sounds good.' Jack said. 'But you're right about time, we need to get moving.'

As the two groups went their separate ways, Daniel thanked Sam for her help then headed to the bridge, mentally preparing himself for travelling across the entire length of the universe.

* * *

The sun was all that could be seen from the Jumper's front viewport, it's warm glow drenched the cabin and although Jack was certain the sight should have rendered him blind, the effects of the phase shift left himself and the others unaffected.

He fought every instinct that was telling him to veer away from the enormous sphere of energy and stayed on course, beside him in the co-pilot seat, Shepherd looked on, Jack could see the same thoughts in the grimly set line of his jaw.

Behind them McKay and Sam were staring intently at their laptops, constantly checking the phase generator that kept them from being cooked by the sun.

'Just tell me when we should be toast.' Shepherd said dryly.

'Oh,' McKay glanced up for a fraction of a second, 'about a minute ago.'

'Great.' Shepherd muttered.

'Don't worry,' Sam assured him, 'we've tested the phase shift countless times and didn't have any problems, everything's been programmed exactly the same as the Ancient's design, which they used to hide Animus in the first place. We'll be fine.'

As if in spite of Sam's reassurances, a corona loop swept out of the suns surface and passed through the Jumper, it did no damage but the group fell into silence. Jack grimaced and pushed the engines a little harder, the sooner they found Animus, the better.

A few seconds later they were inside the sun, and Elizabeth entered the cockpit. 'How many humans do you think have seen this?' She asked as they watched the flames dance around them in swirls.

'None of the sane ones.' Jack replied, sweat building up on his brow. 'Probably none of the crazy ones either.'

As they pressed on Jack's thoughts turned to Teal'c, Vala and Daniel. If what the Furlings claimed about the power of their intergalactic Ley Line drives was true, the trio would probably be at the other end of the universe by now, and between the Beast coming for it's ship and Daniel's growing illness they'd have troubles of their own.

But then, Jack was currently flying through a sun. _Swings and roundabouts_. He thought idly.

The plan was for the two teams to meet up again once Daniel had retrieved the gemstone needed to activate the weapon Animus would lead them to. In his munitions pouch, Jack carried a small disc that Seria had assured him would allow the Furlings to track their position - enabling them to transport Daniel and the others back.

'We're about half way through the convection zone.' McKay reported. 'In a sun this size that means we're about a third of the way through our journey to the core.'

'And that's where Animus is?' Mitchell asked.

'It'd make sense,' Sam explained, 'look at it out there, its not like you could follow any landmarks. But the core emits specific types of radiation that our sensors can pick out, they provide us with a trail to follow. If I was burying something in a sun, that's where I'd put it.'

'Let's just hope the power source of Animus hasn't been depleted,' McKay said, 'because there won't even be a single particle left to see if it shifted back to normal phase in the middle of a sun's core.'

'Actually I'm a little busy hoping that won't happen to us at the moment,' Jack replied, 'I happen to like having all my particles.'

'Okay, we're through the convection zone and into the radiation zone. Won't be long now.' McKay supplied as he read information from his laptop screen.

'We're picking up a signal of some kind,' Shepherd said and looked back at the others, 'The Jumper recognises it as an Ancient automated greeting.'

'Would you look at that,' Mitchell commented, 'the glass is half full. Animus must be in there somewhere.'

Jack manoeuvred the Jumper to head towards the signal. As they moved forwards it grew clearer, indicating that their course was the correct one. He looked out at the broiling mass of flames and gases that coiled around them and then they broke through them, and the view around them was pure white.

'This is the core.' McKay said, but Jack had already guessed. Nothing was visible, only the white light that Jack knew was never meant to be seen by human eyes - mostly for the fact that they'd be burned out of their sockets.

'Do you see that?' Elizabeth asked, pointing out of the viewport. Jack followed her line and saw what she was referring to. Among the light was a dark shape, unmistakably of a similar shape to Atlantis.

'Thar she blows.' Shepherd said quietly 'I'm gonna try to activate the docking procedure.'

A few moments passed when they all held their breath, but then Shepherd acknowledged a response from Animus and Jack steered them towards the docking bay.

When the Jumper was close, Animus could be clearly seen. It shared the tall tower and surrounding circular buildings with Atlantis, but as Sam had told him it was definitely smaller and he noticed several weapons placements where there should have been buildings.

'Are those what I think they are?' Mitchell asked, indicating the hundreds of black panels placed at regular intervals around the city.

'Solar panels.' Sam confirmed, and Jack could hear the smile in her voice. 'Simple and efficient - especially within the core of a sun.'

'They must be using the same technology as the Space Gate in orbit around the Library planet,' McKay conjectured, 'It'll store all of the energy into a buffer so that it can be accessed when needed. But transferring the energy from the phase outside Animus to the buffers within would be extremely dangerous. It's ingenious, but it'd have to be monitored constantly. If it works, that's an almost unlimited source of power.'

'I hope you're right, 'cause we're going in.' Jack said, and flew the Jumper smoothly into the hanger of Animus. He set them down on the ground near the bay's exit hatch.

'Alright, let's get prepped.' Jack ordered, and made to do so himself. When they were ready, Jack hit the door release and they moved out onto the metal deck of the hanger.

'It's almost identical to Atlantis.' Shepherd remarked as he took in the surroundings.

The sound of the hanger exit hatch opening drew Jack's attention. 'Halt.' A woman flanked by two men commanded, all three of them hand their weapons pointed towards Jack and the others. 'You are not the Builders. Identify yourselves now.'

'Alright, calm down,' Jack tried to be as civil as possible, which was difficult when the person he was trying to be civil to was pointing a gun in his face, 'we're-'

'That is not the valid code for non-Builder personnel.' The woman stated, and she didn't waste time, weapons fire rained down upon them.

It turned out - Jack realised as blast hit his leg - that the weapons they used were non lethal, but hurt like hell. He stumbled towards the Jumper and Mitchell pulled him inside when he was near, the pain in his leg causing him to fall behind.

'McKay, shield.' Shepherd barked, sending out some cover fire with Mitchell.

'Turning the cloaking shield into an energy shield isn't that easy,' McKay retorted as he worked, 'do you want to give it a try.'

'No, we want you to work faster.' Jack shouted and a few moments later McKay gave a grunt of satisfaction and the energy blasts raining down on the Jumper began hitting the shield, stopping several feet away.

Now that they had a reprieve, Jack turned to Sam. 'Why do people always shoot at us?'

'I can't speak for the other times, but I think we just encountered Asurans - human form replicators created by the Ancients.'

McKay was checking the sensors. 'They're definitely replicators,' he confirmed, grimacing, 'and there's a lot of them.'

'Makes sense,' Sam said, 'replicators would be a lot better at keeping the systems functioning than any automated programs.'

'And there's the bonus of them being able to shoot people.' Mitchell added as he cradled his arm, apparently he'd been also been hit in the fray.

'Replicators,' Jack muttered, lightly kicking the Jumper bench and winced when he felt a shooting pain from where he'd been shot, 'I hate those things.'

* * *

Daniel stood with Seria, Teal'c and Vala on the bridge of the _Fragarach _as her crew readied the vessel to travel through the Furling Galaxy. He wasn't sure of what to expect from the experience, but this was the reason he travelled through the Stargate. To find new cultures, and understand their ways.

It was clear that the Ley Lines were important cornerstones in the Furling belief system and that was just one of the many references their culture had with the Celtic religions of Earth. The wings, for instance, was another connection to the fairy folk of many legends.

Beneath him the deck hummed as the drive that would propel them through the Lines and across the universe warmed up for activation. Seria had explained that the engine needed to be shut down for a while after each jump, and left to activate fully before use. It was the only slow part of the process of travelling through Ley Lines.

'Your friends have gone out of phase.' Seria reported, and Daniel looked out towards the sun, telling himself that they would be all right. 'We'll be leaving soon.' She added, and moved away to talk to her crew.

'Listen,' Daniel turned to Vala and Teal'c, 'I want to take this opportunity to thank you guys for coming with me. I don't know what I was thinking when I was ascended, but I've put the entire Furling race in danger by making them protect the Beast's ship.'

'You always have our support Daniel Jackson.' Teal'c said, inclining his head.

'I'm with muscles,' Vala agreed, then pointed at the Furlings 'and I'm not leaving until at least one of them flies.'

Daniel was about to reply when Seria called them over from the front of the bridge, the trio joined her and she pointed to the panoramic view provided by the enormous front viewport.

'Travelling the Lines is best seen from here,' She explained, her lips curving to a smile, 'I think you'll find the journey to be exhilarating.'

Daniel thought that was an odd way to describe interstellar travel, but then Seria ordered her helmsman to activate the drive, and Daniel knew exactly what she meant.

For a moment the bridge was filled with blue light, and then it began to separate into lines of translucent mist that drifted ahead of them. A strong sense of wonder filled Daniel as he watched the blue lines weave through space, sometimes forming shapes that held a deep meaning that Daniel couldn't fathom.

Beside him, Vala stared in wide eyed fascination. She caught Daniel's eyes and smiled. Even Teal'c seemed taken by the display, the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile his eyes following the trace of the lines.

And as quickly as it had appeared, the mist dissipated and Daniel could see the darkness of space marked with thousands of stars, none of them in constellations he could recognise. In the distance a red sun burned, the size of a fist from where they were standing.

'Welcome to the Furling galaxy.' Seria announced, even as Daniel was still trying to understand the experience of travelling through the Lines. 'We are currently on course to the centre of our nation. The fifth planet in this system; Sidhe.'

The name struck a chord in Daniel, and he recalled a story of Irish Celtic origin that told of the fairy folk being driven from their homes and forced to hide under the hillsides. Those hillsides were known as Sidhe.

'That's where the gemstone is?' Vala asked.

'Yes, and the Council.' Seria led them back to a raised dais that held her command chair. She sat down and pressed a few buttons on the console inlaid into the armrest.

'How quickly can we get an audience.' Daniel asked, thinking of the chaos the Beast would be causing back at the Milky Way.

'Right away,' Seria assured him, 'you forget that we have already faced this enemy, and even in the long stretch of time that has passed since we last faced the Beast we have not forgotten the destruction it brings.'

Seria's console beeped twice, and a hologram of an elderly male Furling appeared before her chair. He wore long ceremonial white robes trimmed with gold, and as his image appeared the bridge crew of the _Fragarach _all stood, extending their wings with the tips pointing outwards in what Daniel assumed was some kind of salute.

'Prime Strategos Seria.' The elderly Furling bowed his head.

'Honourable Dian, I have with me Dr. Daniel Jackson and two of his allies from the Milky Way galaxy,' Seria positioned her arm to indicate the trio, 'as discussed in my message, what we have feared has come to pass, the Beast has risen.'

Dian looked at Daniel with scrutiny before easing into a smile that Daniel tried - and failed - to return, 'Dr. Jackson, I mean no offence but I had hoped never to see you again. You told me when last we met that if I were ever to set eyes on you again, it would be when the universe was being torn at the seams.'

Clearly Daniel had spoken to this man when he had come here in ascended form, 'No offence taken, Honourable Dian,' Daniel replied, using the title he suspected was akin to calling some senator or judge, 'I'm afraid I don't remember my last visit here, but I've come for the gemstone Seria tells me I left in your care.'

'To defeat the Beast?' Dian asked.

'Yes.' Daniel replied, as Dian turned back to Seria.

'Prime Strategos, the Council will convene when you land,' He looked back at Daniel, 'I shall oversee the transport of the gemstone to the Grand Hall.'

'Thank you, Honourable Dian.' Daniel said, bowing his head to the elderly Furling before the transmission was cut and the hologram disappeared.

'Well that was easy.' Vala commented wryly.

'We do not have the gemstone yet.' Teal'c replied.

'No, we-' Daniel was cut off mid-sentence by a stabbing pain that lanced through his skull from temple to temple. He felt someone grab him under his arms as he fell, the agony causing him to lose his balance.

His ears were filled with a screeching noise that filled him with terror, and then he heard a voice explode from the fuzz, and his blood turned to ice.

'I am coming Daniel Jackson.' The Beast's voice drowned out the world that spun around him. 'And I will take what is mine.'


	13. Chapter 13

****

Chapter 13

Mitchell tried to ignore the pounding of weapons against the Jumper's shield and turned to Sam 'So, what's the plan?'

'I'm gonna go with not getting shot.' O'Neill interjected, looking out at the replicators and flinching slightly when the shot they fired impacted on the shield near his face.

'We've got to find a way to reprogram them,' Sam replied, 'as you all know our weapons don't have much of an effect against them, and I'm concerned about what security protocols they have written in their base code.'

'Meaning?' Mitchell asked.

'They might be programmed to switch off the phase shifter if they can't stop us.' McKay replied, and Sam nodded gravely.

'That's what I'm thinking,' She agreed, 'I mean it's what I'd do. Make them destroy Animus before it's taken by the enemy.'

'How long do you think we have?' Elizabeth asked.

'It's hard to say,' Sam replied, 'but if this is the only ship capable of finding the weapon that can destroy the Beast, I doubt the Ancients would've taken it's destruction lightly. I think we'll have enough of a window to reprogram the replicators.'

'If we can get passed those guys.' Ronon added.

'Well,' Shepherd moved over to a storage cabinet and opened it 'it's a good thing we still keep the anti-replicator weapons as standard Jumper cargo.' He handed the weapons out.

'Not that I don't trust your intuition, Sam,' Mitchell said as he looked over the weapon, 'but shouldn't we have a back up plan. These guys have been here for millions of years and I don't think they like us that much, what if they decide to cook us early?'

'He's right,' McKay said, 'we should move Animus out of the sun as soon as possible, that'll take away the easiest way to self-destruct. If they try to overload the power cells or detonate a device we'll have longer to stop them.'

'Okay, we'll split into two teams,' Mitchell watched as O'Neill became serious, the military mind behind the sarcasm coming to the forefront, 'Mitchell, take McKay, Ronon and Elizabeth - go and reprogram those damn things. Carter, Shepherd and I will give you cover fire while we head up to the control chair and fly this city clear of the sun.'

'Yes sir.' Mitchell replied and moved towards the ramp, watching the energy blasts as they continued to pound against the shield.

'Ready when you are.' Sam said from the Jumper's controls as Mitchell and his team were waiting on the ramp.

'How can we be ready? We're about to make ourselves target practice.' McKay whined, but was silenced by a shove from Ronon.

Mitchell took a breath, checked his weapon again then nodded. 'Lower the shield.'

On his command, the shield evaporated and behind them the group in the Jumper opened fire. He led his team out onto the hanger deck as quickly as he could, managing to avoid the sporadic weapons fire from the replicators as they circled behind the Jumper and into relative safety.

The exit to the hanger was ahead of them, but some of the replicators had given pursuit, Mitchell could hear their footfalls further back than his own team's. He felt a sting in his back as one of the bolts hit him but he pressed on towards the door.

When they reached it, McKay got it open and as they passed into the next corridor he heard O'Neill yell at the others to move, they were heading towards the other hanger exit, having successfully cut the attacking forces into two.

The door slid shut behind them. 'Can you seal that door?' Mitchell asked.

'Give me a minute.' McKay tapped on the control panel quickly, and then turned with a satisfied look on his face. 'That should hold them… for a while at least.'

'Good enough.' Mitchell turned and started off down the corridor with the others in tow. 'Do you know where we have to go?'

'No, but if I can access a terminal I'll be able to track the source of the signal.'

'I don't see any terminals.' Ronon noted, and he was right. The corridor was painted dull grey and completely blank.

'There's a door up ahead,' Elizabeth said. The door was heavy set and there was a wheel in the middle. Above that was a plaque engraved with Ancient writing.

'What does it say?' Mitchell asked.

'"Test subject holding area."' Elizabeth replied.

'What do you think that means?' McKay asked, but his tone suggested he didn't think it could be anything good.

'Only one way to find out.' Mitchell turned the wheel and after some resistance it span and the door creaked open.

The air behind it smelt stale and the room was dark. Mitchell flicked on the flashlight under his P90 and raised the weapon before stepping through the threshold with Ronon and Elizabeth directly behind him and McKay hanging back slightly, muttering something about walking into dark rooms in a city filled with replicators.

Mitchell could only see what his light could illuminate so he proceeded with caution, keeping his footsteps light and his senses alert. His flashlight passed over a long table that had straps on it at the appropriate positions to restrain a person. Behind him McKay grunted in dismay.

'Oh good, we've found the chamber of horrors.'

'Just look for a light switch.' Mitchell replied, but a cold shiver ran through him anyway at the sight of the table. He continued to move around the room until he came up against something solid. When he trained his flashlight on it, he couldn't see anything so he tentatively reached out his hand. It came into contact with a force field of some kind that shimmered blue where he touched it.

'There's some kind of-' A shape pounced out of the shadows and Mitchell started, ready to fire when he realised the force field had held it at bay. 'Find a light switch. Now.'

'Got it,' McKay said and suddenly the room was filled with bright light. A laboratory was revealed, filled with several other tables equipped with straps and darkened computer terminals.

But Mitchell was more interested in whatever had tried to attack him. In front of him was a prison cell, it's entrance guarded by the force field he'd walked into and inside it was a Furling with black veins covering her skin. She flapped her wings angrily and went for him again, only to be knocked back by the field. Mitchell was reminded of when he was a kid and put a glass over a wasp.

'She's under the Beast's thrall.' Elizabeth said, coming to stand next to Mitchell.

'Oh please, it's a signal, not thrall. Dracula has thrall and he's a work of fiction, this is just science.' McKay corrected as he tried to get one of the computers to work.

'You're right about the signal,' Elizabeth replied, 'so how come the Beast doesn't know about this place?'

'Good question.' Mitchell replied.

'Yes it is, and it's one I might be able to answer if I could get this computer working.' McKay said in exasperation.

'Let me try.' Ronon suggested and moved over to the console. McKay looked at the Satedan with undisguised disbelief.

'How do you expect to-' Ronon ignored him and landed a heavy blow on the top of the terminal. 'Oh, great idea, hit the millennia old computer-' It beeped, and the screen lit up.

'What?!' McKay exclaimed, but Ronon simply shrugged and moved off, staring intently at the trapped Furling.

'What does it say?' Mitchell asked.

'Rather a lot actually.' McKay replied tartly, not looking up from the screen, 'Here we go, it seems the Keepers were trying to find a way to counteract the plague in this lab. They didn't get very far before it was abandoned but - ah.'

'What?' Ronon asked, but he didn't sound interested.

'The reason the Beast doesn't know about this place is because Animus has been aligned to a phase that it's blind to.' McKay explained as he read.

'But she's still infected,' Mitchell stated, 'I thought Sam said that cutting off the signal would stop the progress of the plague.'

'The signal is still there,' McKay replied as he tapped a few keys, 'but the Beast can't sense it. Think about if you're talking to someone on the phone and another person tries to call you, the second call is connecting on some level but you don't hear it.'

'The Beast doesn't have voicemail, huh?' Mitchell commented dryly.

'Apparently not, thank God.' McKay replied.

'You know this is a dead end right?' Ronon spoke up, getting Mitchell's attention. He scanned the room himself and saw that it was true, there was only one door in the laboratory and it was the one they had entered through.

'How long did you say the door would hold the replicators?' Mitchell asked.

'Not long.' McKay replied. 'Look, I'll try to find a map on the system somewhere and - oh.'

'What?' Mitchell leaned over McKay's shoulder to peer at the screen, but couldn't make sense of the writing.

'I've definitely found something.' McKay responded, he continued typing for a while longer then looked up, grinning.

'The Keepers were working on a weapon that could disrupt the subspace signal that linked the infected the Beast.'

Mitchell instantly thought of Daniel. 'So it'll heal them.'

McKay shook his head. 'No, but it'll kill the zombies,' he said, 'and it'll be a good start to finding a cure. It's stored in a munitions hold not far from the source of the replicator signal.'

'Is the source close?'

'Not really, but this ship was built by all four races, and that means we now have access to Asgard beaming technology, all I have to do is lock onto the replicator signal source and - presto.'

McKay tapped a key and without warning Mitchell felt the familiar weightlessness that came with being beamed away.

* * *

Escorted by Seria and several other armed Furlings, Daniel, Vala and Teal'c made their way down an expansive promenade on Sidhe. Ahead of them was the enormous Grand Hall, a dome shaped building surrounded by a line of trees with leaves of gold and silver.

The Beast's warning was still fresh in Daniel's mind as they entered the wide arch that served as an entrance to the hall, filling him with a sense of urgency to claim the gemstone and find the weapon.

'What about the Beast's ship?' Vala asked as they passed through a long corridor decorated with colourful plants. 'If he gets his hands on that, won't all of this be for nothing.'

'I don't know.' Daniel replied, the same thoughts had passed through his own mind.

'We will protect it as best we can,' Seria spoke up, 'but if we fail hope won't be lost. In the time we have had the ship in our custody, our scientists have discovered that the weapon aboard must be charged for use, and while it is in that state the ship cannot move at it's full speed.'

'We can only hope it doesn't come to that.' Daniel said as they stepped through a set of large double doors and were allowed access the Grand Hall itself.

Grand was an understatement, Daniel was in awe of the dome roofed building. The roof was made of crystals that refracted sunlight, drenching rainbows of colour upon the rows of seats that lined the walls like a stadium and the dais in the middle where a group of elder Furlings were seated. The effect of the rainbow gave the Hall a sense of majesty that Daniel was starting to expect from the Furlings.

He recognised Dian in the centre of the group and he held a small bundle of cloth in his hand that had to be the gemstone. Daniel upped his pace and after the pleasantries and introductions of the Council, Dian stepped down from the dais, he placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder.

'This is the stone you left in our care. My only hope, Dr. Jackson, is that you can find the weapon in time.' He said softly pressing the cloth into Daniels palm. When he touched it a warmth spread through him, it was akin to mild electric shock.

Daniel was about to thank him when an alarm blared around the hall. The Furling guards began to speak in hushed, urgent tones into communicators attached to their collars, until Dian demanded an explanation.

'Several ships have entered the space above Sidhe,' One guard replied, as more armoured Furlings entered the Grand Hall and began to escort the council members away, 'The Rapier Battle Group has moved to defend but we are outnumbered, Honourable Dian.'

'Have the Sabre group defend the Azure Nebula,' Dian replied and then looked at Daniel, 'I fear the Beast's hand is behind this. The Nebula was the most secure place to hide the ship you directed us to find.' Then he turned to Seria. 'Prime Strategos you are needed in the battle, first send Dr. Jackson and his comrades back to their galaxy by Ley-pod.'

'Yes, Honourable Dian.' Seria replied with a low bow.

'Good luck Dr. Jackson.' Dian said and then turned, moving away with the last of the guards.

'What's a Ley-pod?' Vala asked as Seria began to lead them back out of the Grand Hall.

'It is a self contained transport vessel with a Ley Line drive with enough power for one jump,' Seria explained as they passed through the halls and into frantic activity along the promenade, 'it will transport you to the tracking device we gave to your friend.'

They were about half way along the promenade when an explosion caused the ground to shake. Daniel looked around and saw flames and smoke pouring from the Grand Hall behind them. A blast of yellow energy shot down from the sky and hit the Grand Hall again, Daniel's ears rang at the sound it produced.

They pressed along, passing throngs of panicking Furlings as they went. Guards were ushering people this way and that, promising them safety, but Daniel could see the fear - the guards were lying. The Beast had come and it wasn't going to stop until it had what it came for, and that was in Daniel's hand.

Another blast, another. They were getting closer all of the time, crashing into the white stones of the promenade and sending bodies and shrapnel flying through the air. Daniel could feel the heat on his back by the time they reached the grounded _Fragarach_.

Seria must've transmitted a signal of some kind because the ship's boarding ramp lowered to admit them access and they rushed inside, following Seria's lead as she commanded her crew to take off through a communicator.

By the time they reached the bridge the _Fragarach_ was airborne and rising fast. Daniel looked down at the planet below, he could see smoke pouring from the built up areas as more weapons fire bombarded Sidhe. He gripped the gemstone tighter as they broke through the atmosphere and into space.

'Ha'tak vessels.' Teal'c announced in surprise. Daniel looked up through the viewport and saw that Teal'c's observation was correct, at least twelve Ha'tak vessels were position in high orbit above Sidhe, and it was their weapons that were decimating the planet below even as they held back an impressive force of Furling ships.

'An an Ori Warship,' Vala pointed out. 'How did they get out here?'

'The Beast has an expanse of knowledge at it's disposal,' Seria answered, 'it wouldn't have had any trouble upgrading those ships for Ley Line travel, or improving the weapon systems to match our own.'

'So he's come for the ship.' Daniel concluded, watching helplessly as the _Fragarach_ sped past the warring fleets, almost unnoticed amongst the chaos.

'And retribution.' Seria added. She stared out of the viewport for a few more moments and then turned to Daniel.

'Come with me, the Ley Pods are stored on a lower deck, and you must return quickly to find the weapon that can end this.' Seria started to move away when her comm. officer called out.

'Prime Strategos,' he looked worried, 'we are receiving a priority message from the Sabre battle group.'

'Put them through.'

The comm. speaker crackled then a male voice with an urgent tone came through. 'This is Strategos Marjera of the Sabre group, we have suffered heavy casualties at the Azure Nebula and request assistance from any ships in the area.'

Seria looked crestfallen. 'Ilas, escort Dr. Jackson, Vala and Teal'c to the Ley Pod. Send them home.' She turned to them, 'I'm sorry, but I must stay here on command.'

'It's okay,' Daniel replied, as the Furling known as Ilas began to lead them away, 'and thank you.'

'Just find that weapon.' Seria said and turned away, her eyes focused on the viewport once more.

Daniel held the gemstone close as Ilas led them through the ship. He vowed to use it to end this destruction.

* * *

After they had evaded the replicators chasing them Jack, Sam and Shepherd had headed for the nearest computer terminal they could find. It didn't take Sam long to discover that they could use Asgard beaming technology to travel across Animus instantaneously, and on Jack's order they were beamed directly to where the command chair should be.

The problem was, it wasn't there.

'I feel we're missing something here.' Jack commented, looking around at the circular room. It was almost identical to the room that housed the chair back on Atlantis but was filled with computer stations and displays. The set up reminded Jack more of the bridge of a ship.

'This is where the command chair is on Atlantis, right?' Shepherd asked, 'Maybe they decided to put it somewhere else.'

'No, this is definitely the command centre.' Sam replied as she examined the computer terminals.

'There's no chair, Carter, how are we supposed to fly this thing?'

'That's it,' Sam replied, pointing to the computer banks, 'this city was built by all four races. If it was operated by command chair then only the Ancient's would be able to fly it. We have to assume any proposed crew would've been made up of Nox, Asgard and Furlings as well.'

'Then it looks like we're doing things the old fashioned way.' Jack said with a sigh. 'Work your magic Carter.'

She gave him a look, but then set about working on the nearest computer. Shepherd took up post by the entrance and glanced out into the hall, keeping watch. Jack raised his radio to his lips.

'Mitchell, this is O'Neill. Report.' There was silence for a moment and then the radio fizzed and Mitchell answered.

'Mitchell here,' The Colonel responded, 'we've found a way to use Asgard beaming technology and we're in the replicator control room. Dr. McKay is trying to get through the safeguards to begin reprogramming them.

'Also, Ronon and Dr. Weir have headed down to a weapons store, McKay believes that the Ancient's were developing a weapon that can kill the Beast's zombies and they've gone to recover it.'

'Sounds promising.' Jack replied, being half sincere.

'Yes sir.' Mitchell replied, 'How about you? Any progress getting us out of this stellar sauna?'

Jack looked down at Sam, who had opened one of the computers and was rifling through wires and crystals, she shrugged. 'There isn't any tech here I know how to use, it's a hybrid of all four races. We've seen Asgard and Ancient devices but the Nox and the Furling aspects are completely new to me. Even getting power to these computers is going to take a while and even then we have no idea if the interface will allow us to-'

Jack held out a hand to stop her, and raised the radio. 'Sam's working on it.' He replied, 'How's McKay doing?'

There was a pause, then Jack faintly heard Mitchell ask McKay what is progress was and the biting response he got.

'He's working on it.' Mitchell replied.

Jack sighed. 'Alright, let me know if you make any progress.'

He was about to ask Sam if she needed any help when he caught Shepherd trying to get his attention. Instantly worried, Jack jogged over to join the Colonel at the doorway.

'We've got replicators incoming.' Shepherd whispered, pointing out into the hall.

Jack peered carefully out of the door and saw them. A woman flanked by two men were striding in their direction, they looked alert and carried their weapons at the ready. Jack shared a grimace with Shepherd and then rushed over to Sam.

'We've got company.' He told her in hushed tones. He moved back but before he could reach the door, Shepherd was firing at them around the corner.

When Jack reached him, he saw one of Shepherd's anti-replicator blasts hit one of them and they exploded into shards of metal. By the time he added his own attacks to the fray, the blasts weren't having any effect.

'Oh crap.' Shepherd swore as Jack led them back into the room proper they went to join Sam behind one of the computer banks, it would provide them with little cover but it was the best the room had to offer.

'Cease your actions.' It was the voice of the female replicator, 'or we will be forced deactivate the phase shift generator.'

'They can't do that from here,' Sam explained in a whisper, 'it has to be shut down manually from it's point of origin. I read that much on the terminal before we came here.'

'We know you're bluffing.' Jack called out.

'Are we?' There was a pause and Jack heard Shepherd whisper into his radio.

'McKay, get those damn replicators off our backs.'

'This isn't that easy you know, this level of coding is incredibly sophisticated to even interpret, let alone change, even if I could-'

'Now, Rodney.' Shepherd said sternly, when a hologramatic symbol appeared above their heads. Jack recognised it as Ancient.

'What is it?' He asked.

'It's a countdown,' Sam answered dismally, 'it's on a one minute timer, when that reaches zero, the phase shift generator will go offline and we'll burn up in the sun's core.'

'McKay!' Jack was losing his cool. 'We're going to be to toast in less than a minute. Rewire these damn things, now!'

'I need more time than that.' McKay responded frantically.

'We don't have the time!' Shepherd barked.

But Jack didn't say anything else, he watched the symbols roll down, and wondered morosely what being burned alive in the core of a sun would feel like.

'We're so screwed.' He muttered.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The countdown continued and Jack looked at Shepherd and Sam in turn, hoping they would have a flash of inspiration that would get them out of this mess. The expressions on their faces destroyed any small hope Jack held on to for that to happen.

'Try saying Salvation.' Elizabeth's voice said over the gunfire, crackling through the radio.

'What?' Jack demanded.

'It might be the code word General.' She replied.

'Care to give me an explanation for that shot in the dark Elizabeth?' He asked.

'How long's left on the timer?' Elizabeth asked.

'About thirty seconds.' Sam supplied.

'Then no.' Elizabeth replied stonily.

'Fair enough,' Jack said. He braced himself and then leaned out from behind the computer bank they were using for cover. 'Um, Salvation.'

For a moment nothing changed, but when he was about to reprimand Elizabeth the replicators gunfire ceased. Knowing that time was of the essence Jack stood up, followed by Sam and Shepherd.

'The countdown's still going.' Shepherd announced with a grimace.

Jack looked at the lead replicator. 'Can you shut that off?'

It considered the request. 'You do not have authorisation for that command.' She replied.

'McKay,' Sam said into her radio as the replicators turned to leave, 'you need to program them to allow us full security clearance.'

'I'm trying, I'm trying.' McKay muttered in reply, Jack could actually hear the clicking of keys as the scientist worked on the problem, he looked back at the hologramatic countdown, although he didn't understand what it said, there couldn't be long left.

'Alright, ask again.' McKay said.

'Can you _please_ shut off the self-destruct?' Jack asked.

The lead replicator paused and looked back at them, her eyes flickered and then she nodded. 'Authorisation confirmed. Self-destruct sequence aborted.' She saluted rigidly. 'Welcome aboard the Animus.'

Beside Jack, Shepherd exhaled heavily and spoke into the radio. 'It worked McKay, good job.'

'I'd say excellent, actually.' McKay commented, he sounded very pleased with himself.

Jack's eyes were drawn again to the countdown hologram that still hung, frozen in the air. 'How much time was left?' He asked.

Sam made to reply when he cut her off. 'Do you know what, forget it. I don't even want to know.'

* * *

Daniel, Vala and Teal'c had been ushered into a cone shaped pod aboard the _Fragarach_ by Ilas. The inside was circular with a terminal in the middle and a bench running all the way along the wall. As Daniel sat down the pod began to vibrate, he recognised the humming sound as the drive warming up and then blue lines began to trace through the room.

As they traversed the Lines Daniel again saw symbols and images that stirred something within him that he was unable to fathom, patterns emerged and dissipated before their meaning could be understood.

Then something different came over him, the warmth he had first felt when he touched the gemstone emanated from it again, stronger this time. He carefully unwrapped the cloth and looked down.

The azure stone was a perfect sphere, and glowed with an intensity that dwarfed the lines all around him. Its colour seemed to fluctuate along with the shapes and patterns of the Ley Lines. He became lost in the glow, hearing whispers of voices rising and falling in volume, they were also in sync with the Lines.

It took a moment for him to realise that the Lines had disappeared. When he did he looked up with a start, and dread filled him when he recognised the cold, dark silence. Mist drifted around his legs, it seemed to wrap around him but he still held the gemstone in his hands, and it's warmth kept the tendrils of mist at bay.

'So you've found the Ignis.' The Beast stood several feet away, his tone mocking, 'It won't help you.'

'I've - uh - heard differently.' Daniel stammered, and cursed the fact that he'd picked up a habit of antagonising bad guys from Jack.

'I should thank you,' The Beast began to pace around Daniel in a circle, cruel dark eyes staring at him with animosity, 'its ironic, but after hiding my ship so well; you were the one that led me to it.'

'You followed me?'

The Beast snorted. 'Would you follow an insect that crossed your path?' He raised a finger and pressed it against his own temple. 'When we are here, I can see the memories even you cannot perceive.

The revelation stunned Daniel. He should have known, should have guessed. The signal worked both ways when he came to this place but the Beast was its source, for all Daniel could do here it was the Beast's domain. He was a god here.

'Not just here Dr. Jackson.' he stretched out his arms and grinned maliciously, 'Everywhere.'

The fact that the Beast had literally heard his unspoken thoughts caused Daniel to panic, and he tried to close down anything that he didn't want to share. 'You should know that I've made a career of dethroning false gods.'

'Ah, the parasites. Of all the breeds I have created and destroyed one trait remained constant; the search for a higher power, for meaning. You are a student of history Dr. Jackson - you might like to know that the Goa'uld were the first to elevate themselves to that station.'

'Why are you telling me all this?' Daniel let his frustration and confusion into his words.

'So you can glimpse a truth none as low as your race have ever been able to comprehend. I have seen your theology, one linking fact of the gods your people worship is that they are the ones that create the universe. By your races own definition, I am God.'

During his many years of travelling through the Gate, Daniel had heard this speech many times in one form or another. Never before had he been this close to believing it.

'Why is it so important that I glimpse this truth?' He asked, noticing that when he took a step forwards, the Beast stepped back. 'If I'm an insect, why convince me that what you're doing is necessary?'

The Beast ignored his question. 'Mortals are such selfish beings. You live in small windows and still think you are the most important thing in the universe. When I destroy this universe another will be born. A thousand different races will have the chance to live and grow. You're trying to deny life.'

'But billions of people will die.' Daniel replied, and when he took a step forwards he noticed the Beast took one back. 'It isn't fair.'

'Your own people were born on the ashes of the last universe I destroyed. The cycle of extinction must continue as it has since the dawn of time. It would be unfair to allow you to live.'

The fact that the Beast's words were void of emotion shook Daniel, but an idea was forming in his mind. Taking another step forwards, he watched the Beast retract once more, and he held the Ignis out towards the him and had the satisfaction of seeing those black eyes flicker with something resembling fear.

'You're afraid of this stone.' Daniel stated, realising that this was why the Beast had shown special interest in him. He knew that Daniel had the means to stop him. 'It's the key, isn't it? The key to ending your cycle.'

The Beast offered no reply, except the slightest hint of a grimace playing on his face. Daniel approached him with more courage now, forcing him back with whatever power the Ignis held over him.

'The cycle will continue Daniel Jackson. What you have is a handful of water to put out a fire as large the universe itself, I am as old as time and none have ever been able to stop me. Do not delude yourself that you and your band of friends are any different than the thousands that have come before you.'

As he spoke, the Beast waved his arms and Daniel felt the ethereal world around him begin to blur and slip away.

* * *

'So can the replicators fly us out of here?' Jack asked. The entire group had met up in the command centre and were discussing their options.

'I'm working on it,' McKay replied, ' but this is incredibly sophisticated programming we're dealing with. They won't attack us again because we've given them the code but that only gives us medium clearance. The changes I made to their base program have already reverted back to the original form.'

'So we not going anywhere fast.' Shepherd concluded.

'Not yet,' Sam added, 'but I've looked into the ship's systems and it seems like there's a Ley Line drive on board. From what Seria told us about travelling the Lines we could reach the destination almost instantaneously. McKay and I will start working on it.' The pair of scientists moved off to do so and Jack looked at Shepherd.

'How about this zombie killing weapon?'

'It works.' Mitchell replied. 'We tested it out on the infected Furling down in the lab and she stayed down.'

'How many do we have?' Shepherd asked.

'Four that work.' Ronon replied, holding up one of the weapons. It looked a little like a Zat.

'Well at least that's something we can -' Jack was cut off when lines of blue light began to trace through the command centre. There was a bright flash and then a cone shaped pod materialised in the corner of the room.

He and the others trained their weapons on the pod as the door slid open. He relaxed when Vala and Teal'c came out, holding a groggy Daniel between them.

'You couldn't knock?' Jack asked, but his humour dropped when he examined their faces. 'What happened?'

'The Beast has attacked the Furlings.' Teal'c supplied, helping Vala sit Daniel in one of the chairs. 'Daniel Jackson believes he has found his ship.'

'Daniel?' Jack inquired.

'He visited me again,' Daniel replied, his breathing rough and heavy, 'he gloated at first but I think we may have the upper hand with this.' He held up an azure stone for them all to see.

'What are you going to do, throw it at him?' McKay said, examining the stone with scrutiny.

'It's the key to the weapon we're searching for,' Daniel explained, 'and the Beast was afraid of it when he saw it.'

'But if the Beast has his ship, what can we do?' Mitchell asked.

'We still have time,' Daniel seemed to be finding it difficult to talk, 'the ship can't travel that fast when the weapon on board is activated.'

'But we still don't know where he's headed.' Shepherd added.

'Actually, we do.' Sam replied, and everyone's attention focused on her. 'There's only one set of co-ordinates in the nav-computer.' A hologram appeared in the air where the countdown had been. It showed a single planet with a large black mass of black nearby.

'What are we looking at?' Jack asked.

'The planet you can see is named Excalibur, and it's where we'll find the weapon that can destroy the Beasts ship,' Sam explained, then she pointed to the black mass, 'and the computer log says that this is the largest black hole any of the four races has on record. It's the Beast's target.'

'I'm no astrophysicist, but wouldn't that black hole have sucked up the planet?' Mitchell asked.

'Normally, yes,' Sam answered, 'but the entire planet has been placed on the same phase gradient as Animus, which Rodney believes makes it blind to the Beast and negates the effects of the gravity well.'

'How far away is it?' Elizabeth asked.

'For Ley Line travel, not far. It'd probably take a lot longer by hyper drive, even now that all of our ships have been installed with the latest Asgard designed drives we got from the Core.'

'I don't like it,' Jack said, and Sam frowned 'I mean, I like the idea of finding the weapon but just sitting around and waiting for the Beast to come to us isn't much of a plan. Especially when the black hole that can end the universe is just around the corner.'

'What about that thing,' Shepherd motioned to the pod that stood in the corner of the room, 'can we use it to get on board the Beast's ship?'

'It's only got enough juice for one jump.' Vala replied.

'So give it more juice.' Ronon suggested.

'Well we don't even know what it runs on,' McKay explained, 'or if a Ley Line engine can be refuelled like conventional ones.'

'But we can find out, right?' Jack asked. 'The computers must be filled with all that stuff.'

'Maybe.' McKay answered. 'But even then we don't know where the Beast is, without a destination there'd be no point even trying to get the pod up and running.'

'Actually we can find out where the Beast is,' Sam said, tapping a few keys, 'remember that this entire city was built to fight him, the sensors are calibrated to lock onto the source of the Beast's signal. Look.'

She brought up another hologram, it showed unfamiliar clusters of stars and a black dot was moving through them, Jack assumed it was the Beast's ship. 'At the current speed it'll be at the black hole within twelve hours.'

'Alright, we'll form two teams. Me, Sam, Ronon and Teal'c will use the pod once it's ready to get onboard the Beast's ship, try to stop it from reaching the black hole. The rest of you need to get to the weapon and ready it for use if we don't succeed.' Jack ordered, adding hope to his voice that he didn't entirely feel. 'Before that we'll contact the SGC, get all available ships to head in the direction of the planet and warn Earth of the situation.'

'You realise the Beast's fleet annihilated the Furling's defences,' Daniel said, downcast, 'our ships won't have much effect on them. It seems like the Beast has upgraded the technology onboard.'

'A little help is better than none,' Mitchell commented, 'and the new Asgard weaponry might give us a bit of an edge.'

'I'll talk Dr. Lee through the phase technology I used in the parallel universe to protect the Earth from the Ori, it might be the only chance to save them.' Sam said.

'Good plan,' McKay agreed, 'you might want to talk Zelenka through that as well.'

Jack looked over the whole group, 'Okay, first things first, let's get the hell out of this sun. You know the drill - universe in peril and all that - lets get to work.'

* * *

Sorry this update took so long, I haven't found much time to write in the past couple of weeks but I'll try to get the next chapter up quicker. I also want to give a big thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far, all input is greatly appreciated :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Animus was finally on the move, and Sam breathed a quiet sigh of relief when the flames disappeared from the viewport she was looking through and the vastness of space replaced them.

It had taken a little over two hours to reprogram the replicators to obey the commands of SG1 and the Atlantis team which left them with just under ten hours to either cripple the Beast's ship or activate the weapon on Excalibur and use it. To think it was possible that the universe only had that long left sent a shiver down her spine.

While McKay took care of the replicator problem, Sam had worked on the Pod that had transported Daniel, Vala and Teal'c. The resources aboard Animus were impressive to say the least and using them she had managed to recharge the drive on board for another jump.

'Now that's a comforting sight.'

Sam turned to see Jack in the hallway, then looked out at the stars. 'It's hard to believe it can all disappear.'

'That's not going to happen.' Jack replied, moving to stand beside her. 'Are we ready for the jump?'

'Almost,' Sam replied, 'the tricky part is going to be calculating our destination. We'll be jumping onto a moving vessel so there's a degree of guesswork involved in matching which course the Beast's ship will take, and even if we match it we have to correctly estimate the ship's velocity and schematics to make sure we don't reappear in the middle of a wall.'

'You could have just said it'll be really hard.' Jack responded, not giving any doubts away.

'More like impossible.' McKay said as he entered the room. 'Do you have any idea how ridiculous this idea is?'

'Not really,' Jack replied airily, 'but the crazy plans normally save our asses, so I'm going to stick with the trend.'

McKay looked like he wanted to say something else, but he simply sighed and walked over to a computer console.

'Elizabeth and I have gone over the data the Keepers compiled on the Beast's ship.' He tapped a few keys and an image of the ship appeared on the screen, he pressed another button and it zoomed in to a point at the aft of the ship. 'The power source is held in a large compartment on this deck, it looks to be the best bet for disabling the Beasts movement and defences.'

'Well it's a good thing we brought along some C4.' Jack said.

Sam read the data on the screen and looked over the General. 'If we blow it up, the resulting explosion would take out several of the surrounding solar systems. That ship is powered on masses of harnessed dark energy.'

'Makes sense, doesn't it.' McKay added.

'No.' Jack replied.

Sam turned to him. 'Sir, a few years ago scientists discovered that the universe is actually expanding, it was the theory that allowed us to recalculate the Gate addresses we found on the Abydos cartouche. It's been theorised that dark energy is responsible for that expansion.'

'Oh.' Jack's eyes registered little understanding.

'With the Beast's ship and the weapon onboard being powered by dark energy, when he fires a volley into the black hole the explosion that causes a universal implosion will then create a subsequent explosion powered by that same dark energy. This is almost undeniable proof that the Beast has vaporised entire universes and heralded the creation of the next.' Sam explained

'I just wish we could publish this.' McKay said, and shifted uncomfortably under the steely gazes of both Sam and Jack. 'Alright,' he threw his hands up, 'that's not the issue. Look, I've run some simulations based on the capacity of the dark energy cache and it doesn't look like there's enough there to create an implosion that would draw in the entire universe.'

'Well that's a bonus.' Jack commented.

'I don't think so,' Sam responded, 'everything the Beast has done so far has been planned in detail. I doubt he'd be flying to the black hole without everything he needs to carry out his plan.'

'Exactly,' McKay agreed, 'but I've been over this data a few times and there's nothing to indicate that the Beast is holding anything that could amplify the dark energy's effects.'

'So how does this help us?' Jack asked, frowning at the two scientists.

'It doesn't.' Sam admitted, but this obvious omission on the Beast's part was troubling to say the least. Daniel had described him as a being of impressive intellect, if a little lacking in moral fibre, which meant he would surely know he didn't have the power to carry out his destruction.

'Okay, let's focus on what will help,' Jack said, 'how do we take this power source out?'

'Well, dark energy is incredibly unstable,' McKay explained, 'the only way to use it safely would be to constantly recycle the energy being used as a power source. The genius part is that dark energy exists everywhere in the universe, it's literally an indispensable fuel.'

Sam could see where McKay was going. 'That means there'll be a receiver of some kind that draws the energy into the core and something that deposits it back out into space before the instability makes it go critical.' She looked at Jack, 'Sir, all we have to do is close the receiver and dump the dark energy into space. Without dark energy the Beast's ship will be completely inoperable.'

'You think you can do it?' Jack asked, his eyes on Sam.

'Well - I don't know. We don't even have any idea what sort of technology the Beast is using, or if it's even possible to-'

'Good enough for me,' Jack interjected and began moving towards the door, 'we leave as soon as we've briefed Atlantis and the SGC on the situation.'

* * *

Although there was a bed in the room the others had insisted he retire to for rest, Daniel didn't use it. The last time he'd fallen asleep the Beast had visited him, and he didn't have the strength to go through another otherworldly meeting.

Instead he sat on the floor, leaning against the wall behind him and staring at the one opposite. The Clades Atra was progressing further - it seemed - by the moment. More black lines now traced his skin, most of them were covered by his clothing but one followed the line of his carotid artery along his neck, above the shirt line.

He was no medical doctor but he knew the carotid artery supplied blood to his brain, the presence of infection there surely meant that he didn't have long left. He only hoped he had time enough to activate the weapon on Excalibur.

He wondered bitterly if the ascended Ancient's were doing anything at all to prevent the Beast's plans. If Merlin had descended to battle the Ori, why hadn't any of the others done the same to fight a bigger threat, another enemy from their own time that they had failed to defeat.

A soft voice brought him up out of his thoughts. 'A dollar for your thoughts.'

'It's a penny for thoughts.' Daniel replied.

'Oh I know,' Vala replied as she slid down to sit on the floor next to him, their shoulders brushing lightly, 'but you look like yours must be worth a little more.'

Daniel smiled slightly. 'You know in ten years, I've never thought the bad guys would win. But the Beast - he's different somehow.'

'You're only saying that because there's nothing written about him in a book.' Vala teased, nudging him with her shoulder, but despite her light attitude Daniel felt her fingers reach out and touch his own gently. 'I will find a way to help you Daniel.'

'Well, I've died four times already, what's another one going to matter.'

'Seven times, actually.' Vala corrected, and Daniel looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. 'General O'Neill told me, he was keeping count.'

Daniel sighed, 'Of course he was.'

'But in any case, this won't be number eight,' Vala continued, and Daniel felt her add a reassuring pressure on his hand, 'if you leave me alone with Mitchell and muscles I'll never have any fun.'

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. Daniel felt the despair brought on by the Clades Atra drift away, if only a little. He was sure the way they sat together should feel strange given their history - but it didn't. Instead it brought forth a swell of emotions he hadn't experienced in years.

They sat in silence for a while, a confusing tumult of thoughts and emotions twisting endlessly through Daniel's head. This was Vala, she lied, cheated and played games with his head, and yet the armour he had constructed around himself seemed to crumble in her presence. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Since Sha're's death, or maybe even since she was taken by as a Goa'uld host, Daniel had buried his entire being into the Stargate program. At first to find her, to find her son and then to stop Anubis and later the Ori. He'd been left with precious little time to consider his own personal feelings and even now, with the Beast's plans coming to a head and a disease attacking his body, he didn't have time.

'Daniel Jackson,' It was Teal'c, his voice crackling through the radio on his combat vest, 'General O'Neill wanted me to inform you that he had finished briefing the SGC and Atlantis, and Animus is preparing for Ley Line travel.'

As soon as he said it, Daniel noticed the vibration under the deck, the same as they experienced aboard the _Fragarach_.

'We're on our way.' He responded, breaking away from Vala and standing on tired legs.

'We?' Teal'c inquired.

'I'm with Vala.'

'I see.' Teal'c replied, and Daniel could hear the smile in his voice. That was the second time now, and Daniel reminded himself to ask the Jaffa just exactly what he was smiling about.

_No time at all_. Daniel thought as he and Vala headed out of the room and towards the control room.

* * *

Jack's first thought about Ley Line travel was that he didn't like it. Traces of blue swam around the Pod in which he sat with Sam, Teal'c and Ronon. It wasn't the psychedelic light show that put him off, but the fact that it didn't feel like they were moving in anything he thought of as reality.

Within a few heartbeats, the blue haze vanished and the Pod shuddered. He looked over at Sam, but she was busy on her laptop. He remembered all too well what the two resident space travel experts said about calculating this jump, and as the Pod shook again he called out to get Sam's attention.

'It's alright,' Sam replied, and in time with her words the shuddering ceased, silence falling over the Pod, 'there was a little difficulty passing through the ship's shielding but we've landed successfully.'

'That was weird.' Ronon commented as he stood and readied the anti-zombie weapon.

'Indeed.' Teal'c replied with a nod.

'Let's get this done.' Jack ordered. He and Sam moved towards the Pod's access hatch and took up defensive positions on either side. Behind them, Teal'c and Ronon stood adjacent to the door with weapons raised, ready to meet any resistance with deadly force. On Jack's nod, Sam pressed the hatch controls and it slid open silently.

When Teal'c and Ronon didn't begin to fire, Jack stepped out - much to his surprise - into a cave. The craggy stone walls looked as if they'd been beaten out with tools as opposed to built from the ground up. He frowned and scanned his surroundings for any sign of technology, but found nothing. The tunnel was even lit by flaming torches rather than artificial light.

'Carter, I think we took a wrong turn.'

'I don't think so, sir,' Sam replied, moving ahead of him 'I think this is the inside of the Beast's ship.'

'It's made of rock?' Jack said incredulously, 'What did he do; carve it out of an even bigger rock?'

'That seems unlikely O'Neill.' Teal'c supplied as the group moved forwards, alert.

'So does a space ship built out of stone.' Jack replied.

'The schematics show that the dark energy container is just through there,' Sam said, pointing ahead to a metal door standing in contrast amongst the stone, 'it shouldn't take long to empty it out into space.'

'Isn't this a little too easy,' Ronon commented, his eyes flitting about for any signs of a threat, 'the bad guys I know don't just leave their weaknesses unguarded.'

Jack agreed. 'Something definitely isn't right,' he replied, 'but there's not much we can do at this point except…' He trailed off when the door in front of them opened without them having to do anything, revealing a large empty chamber behind.

'Well that can't be good.' Jack said quietly as the four of them entered the chamber.

'Are you sure this is the ship Colonel Carter?' Teal'c enquired after two sweeps of the room turned up nothing.

'This is the only physical mass for light years,' Sam replied, 'it has to be the ship.'

'And it is.' A cold voice came from the centre of the room. Ronon and Teal'c fired blasts from their weapons before Jack could turn. When he did he saw a tall man with black veins covering his face and arms standing before them, the energy blasts flying through him.

'It's a hologram.' Sam pointed out, and Jack got a bad feeling.

'And this would be the Beast, right?' He asked, and Ronon gave a curt nod. Jack studied the man, his presence - even in hologramatic form - was imposing. The sneer on his face reminiscent of the many Goa'uld Jack had confronted over the years, it made Jack's blood run cold.

'Mortals,' The Beast said, almost ignoring their presence, as if he was talking over them, not to them, 'give them something to hope for and they will always reach for it in the dark.'

'Actually, I prefer to turn the light on,' Jack said, preparing himself for a round of bad guy baiting, fishing for information. He gestured with his hands. 'but I can't find the switch, will you do the honours.'

The Beast's smile grew. 'You think by stopping that ship, you'll be able to bring a halt to the cycle of destruction.'

'Pretty much, yes.'

'I see Dr. Jackson isn't with you, he is an appreciator of history, he would be pleased to know that the vessel upon which you stand pre-dates your own universe,' The Beast explained, his tone arrogant, 'but it wasn't mine, not originally.

'You see, it isn't the ship that has the power; it's the power source and the weapon,' He raised his arms dramatically, staring directly into Jack's eyes, 'which is here with me, aboard the vessel of the Ori.'

It took a moment for that to sink in, and when it did, Jack's heart did a nosedive.

'That's how you increased the power of the Ori ship,' Sam said from beside him, 'you've turned it into a doomsday weapon.'

'How clever,' The Beast drawled, 'but too late, I'm afraid. Soon I will be within reach of the event horizon, and the cycle will continue. And believe me, even your companions at the weapon won't be able to stop me.' The hologram flittered and then disappeared, leaving them alone in the chamber that suddenly seemed to have grown colder.

'We have warn them.' Jack said, thinking of Daniel and the others aboard Animus who were unwittingly walking into a trap. 'Let's get back to the pod and get the hell off this flying rock.'

'It's not gonna be that easy.' Ronon muttered. Jack turned to him, he was aiming his gun towards the doorway that had given them access to the chamber, several of the Beast's zombies were moving towards them. Jack spotted various Jaffa and Ori soldiers in the oncoming force, as well as several winged Furlings.

'Why does it always end up like this when things are going well?' Jack asked no one in particular before raising his own weapon and firing at the group.

When the blasts hit them, the Beast's legions went down and stayed down. Although Jack hadn't faced them before he knew well that they weren't harmed by conventional weapons, and he was glad to have the Ancient technology as advantage.

But he also had doubts that it would make any difference, the reanimated dead kept coming, their sheer numbers alone would be enough to overcome the four of them before long.

Even as he fired, Jack noticed a sound coming from above them, it grew louder with each passing moment, and unless he was going crazy, it sounded like dozens of wings beating…


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Still firing at the oncoming enemies, Jack looked up for the source of the sound, and found it. From above, dozens of armoured Furlings were pouring through gaps in the stone ceiling that he hadn't noticed before.

Their own weapons joined the cacophony as they flew down in spirals, evening the odds despite the fact that the Furling weapons weren't as effective as the ones Jack and his team carried. The sheer volume of Furling energy blasts was enough to drive back the army of the dead and keep them pinned to the entrance of the cavern.

While the rest of the Furlings continued their spiralling assault, Jack noticed Seria leading three others towards them. They flew down and landed beside him, the final beats of their wings sending dust plumes into the air.

'How did you find us?' Jack shouted over the din.

'You still have the locater beacon on you,' Seria shouted back, and Jack remembered the small device he had been given, still resting in his pocket 'we scanned the area when we saw you move and detected the Beast's ship at your destination, we figured you would need some assistance.'

'I'm glad you did.' Jack replied, 'Have you got a way out of here?'

'The _Fragarach_ is docked above.' Seria replied, 'we'll take you to it.'

With that, each of the Furlings that had landed gripped Jack and his team under their shoulders and took off. From above Jack saw the dead below converge on the place they had just been standing before he was pulled through a hole in the rock to the deck above.

The room they came out in was far more what Jack would have expected of a space faring vessel. The walls and floor were all constructed of metal, lined with flashing computer banks that displayed letters and diagrams he didn't understand. Seria set him down and when the rest of his team had joined them on the ground, they set off in a steady jog.

Jack matched Seria's pace at the lead. 'What about your people?' He asked after glancing back and seeing only his team and the Furlings that had carried them to safety behind him.

'They'll follow in small groups.' Seria replied. 'Do you have a plan for stopping this ship?'

'We did, but it doesn't matter now.' Jack said, and went on to explain what the Beast had told them with arrogant glee; that the end of the universe was closer than any of them believed.

'That is troubling,' Seria said as they rounded a corner and came to a large circular hatch that Jack assumed was an airlock, 'we always believed that the Beast and the ship were tied together.'

'It's just the dark matter drive that was important.' Sam explained as Seria began working on a keypad next to the door. 'He must've fitted it onto the Ori Warship after recovering this ship.'

Seria nodded sagely, then Ronon spoke up. 'What are you guys doing here anyway?' He asked, 'We appreciate the help but last we heard the Beast was raining fire on your home.'

'Once he got the ship, he left.' Seria's face was a mask that hid waves of emotion underneath, the face of a soldier. 'Our fleet is decimated, our planets laid to waste. But we are a resilient people and the survivors are already making plans to rebuild.

'I'm sorry.' Ronon returned, and he sounded like he meant it. Jack knew all about Ronon's own planet Sateda and the destruction that took place there at the hands of the Wraith. It seemed to him that there was too much death and destruction in the universe, the only thing that changed were the people handing it out.

'We'll survive.' Seria replied with a faint nod, Jack thought she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. 'I just wish we had more than one ship to offer you in aid of that abomination's death.'

'At this point, Prime Strategos Seria,' Teal'c said reassuringly, 'one ship is enough.'

'He's right,' As Sam spoke the first group of Furling warriors passed into the corridor, 'we've got a team heading to the weapon now, but from what the Beast told us they don't have as long as we first thought to get it up and running. We've got to warn them.'

'Of course,' Seria said as the hatch slid open, 'when all of my crew have returned, we'll be on the move.'

* * *

'Aren't we missing something?' Shepherd said when the Ley Line drive shut down. He was standing next to Elizabeth in the command centre, looking out of the viewport at the expanse of space.

Blotting out the stars was the black hole that could prove the catalyst for the end of everything, and although the Animus had re-materialised far enough away from the singularity to be safe from it's incredible gravitational pull, they were close enough that Shepherd could see other - les fortunate objects - being pulled in. It gave the oval of darkness a glowing blue aura, and gave Shepherd the creeps, but Excalibur was nowhere to be seen.

'The planet is on a different phase than we are,' Elizabeth replied, 'we had to disable the phase shift to allow for Ley Line travel - and now there isn't any solar energy we can't run all of the Animus' systems at once.'

'Right,' Shepherd said, trying and failing to tear his eyes from the black hole, 'I think McKay told me something about that,' he looked over at Elizabeth with a smirk, 'sometimes I zone out when he explains stuff.'

Elizabeth's smile was half-hearted, and Shepherd remembered sharply that this wasn't the same woman he knew - at least not quite. He felt instantly awkward, since their trip to the alternate universe Shepherd had barely registered the fact that she was pretty much a refugee from the place.

As she moved her hand to brush the hair from her face, Shepherd noticed a wedding ring glistening on her finger.

'So, you and Simon tied the knot back home?' As soon as he said it he regretted it, realising it might bring up painful memories, but Elizabeth simply smiled.

'No, not Simon.' She replied, fixing him with a pointed gaze.

Shepherd opened his mouth to question the look, but McKay bustled into the control room.

'When are we expecting the _Daedalus_ and the _Apollo_?' He asked, seemingly oblivious that he'd interrupted something. To be fair to McKay though, Shepherd wasn't sure if there was something going on for him to interrupt.

'With the new hyper drives, about thirty minutes.' Shepherd replied, he could scarcely believe how quickly their ships could now travel, he now knew the Asgard claim of reaching the Milky Way from the Ida galaxy in minutes was well founded, but the answer didn't seem to satisfy McKay.

'And the _Odyssey_?'

'She's staying behind to defend Earth.'

'From a second big bang?!' McKay looked at Shepherd like he'd just been asked to enter a fist fight against Teal'c and Ronon.

'I think it made the politicians feel better.' Shepherd explained, sharing McKay's disapproval 'What's the big deal anyway?'

'Animus' sensors just detected a Ley Line rift from behind the black hole, we barely picked it up through the interference caused by the gravity well, but this hardware is incredibly powerful.'

Shepherd fumed. 'And you didn't think to tell us that part first?'

'No - well - maybe. Look, I panicked, okay?'

'Who is it Rodney?' Elizabeth asked.

'I can't make out any details through the interference.' McKay replied.

That was when Shepherd saw it in the distance, a white circular ship with a yellow drive tail moving out from behind the black hole. Even though it was far away, it's shape was unmistakable.

'It's an Ori warship.' He announced.

By that point, the others had joined them. 'It's him.' Daniel said.

'The Beast? Are you sure?' Shepherd asked.

'Oh yeah, pretty sure.' Daniel replied with a quick nod of his head, 'when you share a subspace signal with someone you get some intuition on these things.'

'Must be a scout party,' Mitchell suggested, 'we know the Beast has more than one ship, maybe he came ahead in the faster ones to secure the black hole before the universe busting weapon gets here.'

'I don't think so,' Vala pointed out of the viewport, 'I don't know many scout parties the size of an armada.'

Shepherd followed her finger and saw more metallic shapes drifting out from behind the black hole, he spotted several Ha'tak vessels and other ships that shared similar base designs to the _Fragarach_.

'We need to move fast.' Shepherd said, moving over to a console. He hadn't had much of a chance to get acquainted with Animus' controls but it was too late to worry about that, and at least he had the replicators to back him up. _Never thought I'd say that_.

'You're right about that,' McKay agreed, 'Jackson, you got the stone with you?'

'Right here.' Daniel tapped his equipment belt.

Mitchell looked at Shepherd, and he gave his fellow Colonel a curt nod. 'Go, get that weapon on line. I'll hold them off from up here and buy you some time.'

'You heard the man,' Mitchell said, heading to the door, 'let's blow that Beast out of the sky.'

As they moved towards the door, Elizabeth split off from the group and stood at the console next to Shepherd.

'What are you doing?' He asked.

She didn't look up from the screen. 'You can't mount a decent defence by yourself, and the replicators need human instructions to act.'

Shepherd knew there was no arguing with her. 'Fair enough,' he said, 'we'll have contact with the enemy in about two minutes. I hope Sam was right about this city being built to fight the Beast, because we're about to test that theory.'

* * *

Daniel could feel the heat if the Ignis rising as the Jumper - now calibrated to the same phase as the planet - moved steadily through space. Ahead of them in the view screen was Excalibur, it was a small planet of blues and greens and - if not for the different land formations - it would have looked a lot like the Earth.

They broke through the atmosphere quickly and the view became obscured by clouds. 'We're picking up some really bizarre readings from down there.' McKay announced.

Vala pouted. 'Such as?'

'This entire planet… it's hollow.' McKay replied, his eyebrows knitted in confusion, 'Which is wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to begin. Hollow means no core, and no core means no thermonuclear reaction, this planet should be dead.'

'Well it's very much alive.' Daniel pointed out as the Jumper passed through the clouds, providing the team with an expansive view of Excalibur's surface.

They were passing over a vibrant blue ocean, over which birds flew in swarms, darting this way and that. On the horizon Daniel saw an enormous beach that stretched out as far as he could see, white gold sand blazed in the sunlight and lit the whole place up like a shinning pyre.

As the Jumper travelled ever closer to the shoreline, Daniel could make out a jungle that continued off into the mainland, and by the time they flew over the land itself he could see their goal.

'Would you look at that.' Mitchell said in awe.

Ahead of them was an obsidian column with etchings that appeared to be a language of the like Daniel had never before seen. It was huge, easily six football fields tall with a circumference that would put a whole state to shame.

The Jumper glided towards the column. 'Is it just me, or does that look like the barrel of an enormous gun?' Vala asked.

'This must be it,' Daniel agreed, the excitement at having found the weapon momentarily pushing away the constant barrage of pain the Clades Atra brought with it, 'this is what he's so afraid of.'

'Can't say I blame him,' Mitchell replied, 'look at that thing, how do you build something that big?'

'I think they built it in space,' McKay suggested, still studying readouts on the display before him, 'and then constructed this entire planet around it. Everything here is artificial; the weather, the gravity, even the air.'

'And that definitely isn't a form of Ancient writing,' Daniel explained, examining the alien characters, 'I think this planet is a survivor from one of the universes that existed before our own that the Beast destroyed.'

'Of course,' McKay exclaimed, 'the phase shift is two-fold, it hides this place from the Beast and protects it from the big bang. The Ancients must have emulated the idea to hide the Animus, they were playing the ultimate long game.'

'Well, let's hope it pays off.' Mitchell said.

They flew around the column a few more times, heading upwards in a spiral when Vala started, pointing out of the view screen. 'Look, there's a platform over there.'

She was right, and Mitchell guided the Jumper towards the platform, that was more of a giant niche carved into the side of the column. As they set down Daniel made out the outline of a door, this was it, this was their final hope.

When they were out of the Jumper, Daniel went straight to the doorway and pushed, pleased to find that it opened without any resistance. Inside they found an unimpressive room, considering the column upon which it was built.

There was a dais at the far end of the room, upon which sat a lone computer console next to altar. It was the altar that caught Daniel's attention and he rushed towards it. Made of the same black stone as the column, the altar stood at shoulder height. It was covered with markings, but what interested Daniel was the indentation on it's front, an indentation that happened to be the perfect size to fit the Ignis.

His hands were shaking as he reached for stone. When he touched it the heat almost burned, as if the stone knew that it was close to resting where it was supposed to be. With great care he slotted the Ignis into the indentation, it's light burned brightly and the computer next to the altar sprang to life.

The column began to vibrate, they could hear the sounds of machinery whirring into life and Daniel allowed himself a satisfied smile, maybe they were going to be alright.

'Whoa.' Mitchell's voice came from the door where he'd been standing guard. 'That's one hell of a light show.'

Daniel rushed over to join him, and stopped in his tracks when he saw what Mitchell was referring to.

Across the sky, rifts were opening and through them poured crackling blue energy, it flowed through the air like a thousand rivers, all of which were heading down to the base of the pillar.

'Ley Lines.' Daniel said, recognising the energy from his numerous travels. 'The weapon is powered by the Ley Lines.'

'That's why the planet's hollow,' McKay said, his own eyes fixed on the cascading blue energy that was growing in volume with every second, 'that's where the energy for the weapon is stored.' He paused to look at his comrades, 'this might actually work.'

'You didn't think it would?' Vala asked with a stare.

'Well, I had reasonable doubts.' McKay replied with a shrug, but Daniel wasn't listening to them, he was staring out at the blue flames in awe, their presence alone providing him with very real relief from the symptoms of the disease, they were curing him.

The sound of clapping came from behind them, and Daniel felt a dark presence engulf all of the joy he had felt at succeeding in their task. When he turned, he already knew the Beast would be standing in the room.

'It's good to be home.' He said, as Mitchell and Vala's bullets soared straight through his hologramatic form.

'I should thank you Dr. Jackson, for playing your part so well. Without you the cycle would never have been able to continue.

'Do you remember what I told you about mortals - doctor - that they are so very easy to manipulate.' The humour in the Beast's eyes was infuriating, but Daniel was frozen to the spot, 'I _needed_ you to come here. You mistook the fear of the Ignis as fear of this weapon, but I _need _this weapon. All of the precious energy it draws from the Lines around the universe will enable by cannon to begin it's rebirth.'

'What?!' Daniel shouted, unable to believe, but when he glanced outside the blue energy had changed directions, now swarming out towards space, towards the Beast.

'You shouldn't feel bad, you're not the first,' The Beast continued with a malicious smirk, 'I played the beings you know as the Ancients as fools, and a thousand others before them. I cannot touch the Ignis, but with you as my puppet, it didn't matter.

Daniel couldn't reply.

The Beast's eyes drew dark, his face contorted. 'I told you I am a God, Daniel Jackson!' When he raised his hand the column shook violently. 'Do you believe me now?!'


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The Beast's hologram had disappeared, but his words were still ringing in Daniel's ears as if he'd been standing next to an explosion. All of his work, everything we had done up until now had been scripted by the Beast. Daniel had done his dirty work for him.

'How'd he find us?' Mitchell asked, glancing around for answers but getting nothing but silence from his comrades as the column pitched again, shaking violently.

'What happened down there?' Shepherd's voice crackled through the radio, 'Your planet just appeared out of nowhere.'

Standing by the computer console next to the altar and staring down at the screen, McKay groaned. 'The phase shift shut off when we activated the weapon.' He replied.

'But there's still time, right?' Vala asked. 'Sam and the others could still take out the Beast's ship and stop it from getting here.'

'I'm afraid not.' Jack came jogging into the room with Teal'c, Ronon and Sam in tow.

'The Beast moved the weapon onto the Ori ship,' Sam explained 'we got here as fast as we could aboard the _Fragarach_ to warn you guys, they beamed us down when the planet came out of the phase shift.'

'Okay, what did we miss?' Jack asked after surveying the grim expressions on his comrades faces. 'And what the hell is going on out there?' He pointed a thumb towards the swirling blue energy that now filled the sky.

'Just the end of the universe.' Daniel replied.

'You know we said that their wasn't enough dark matter energy to provide an adequate blast to implode the black hole,' McKay explained, and pointed out at the Ley Lines, 'well the energy building up out there is more than sufficient to bridge that gap, and if you're saying that the Beast already has his weapon up there…' McKay didn't finish his sentence, and Daniel was aware that everyone understood the meaning.

'What can we do?' Ronon asked, 'There has to be some way to shut this thing off.'

'There isn't,' McKay responded, 'once the activation is set in motion, there's no way to stop it. The Beast played us like fools.'

'I hate to add to your list of problems,' Shepherd said over the radio, 'but I've just seen some drop ships disembark from a few of the Beast's ships, they're heading planet side.' From the explosions audible in the background as he spoke, Daniel assumed he had a long list of his own.

'He's about to destroy the entire universe and he's still sending people to attack us,' Vala commented dryly, 'I'm beginning to think that the Beast is a little unhinged.'

'Or he knows we've still got a way to hurt him,' Jack said, looking out at the sky for any sign of the ship's then turning back, 'we can defend this room well enough - Carter, McKay, start working on that computer, if there's something else we missed that can play to our advantage we need to know what it is.'

The group continued to discuss their limited and ever decreasing options, but Daniel wasn't listening. His skull had started to throb and all of the sounds around him became muted, then he heard a weak voice speaking in whispers speak directly into his mind.

'All is not lost Daniel Jackson; not yet,' Daniel was shocked to hear Vir's voice, 'I have seen the Beast's mind and he knows that the Excalibur weapon is still a threat to him. If you follow my instructions, you can still end his cruel cycle.'

Daniel was torn, and he suspected this to be a trick on the Beast's part; but what more could the Beast possibly want, he already had everything he needed to continue with his plans and as he had asserted more than once, Daniel and his friends were like mere insects to him now.

Vir must have sensed Daniel's willingness, because he continued. 'There is a hidden access way in that room, over by the altar. If you touch the stone that looks different from the others the wall will become traversable. You must take the Ignis and go to the very heart of Excalibur.'

Daniel looked over at his companions, they were still involved in a debate about what their next move should be and he decided not to tell them. If this was a trap, he would face it alone; if it wasn't but he failed in using the weapon against the Beast, maybe they could come up with another plan that would succeed.

When he was sure there were no eyes on him, Daniel moved over to the wall. He took the Ignis from it's resting place on the altar, feeling it's familiar warmth.

Gripping the stone tightly, found the stone Vir had referred to on the back wall and placed his palm on it. Nothing seemed to happen, until Daniel reached an arm out to the wall and his hand went straight through it. With a deep breath he stepped passed the façade.

On the other side was a dimly lit grate metal stairway. As he leaned on the rail and looked down he saw no sign of the end, only an oppressive gloom that seemed to go on forever. Steeling himself, he began his descent on already aching limbs, a glimmer of hope the only thing that kept him going.

As he made his way down, Daniel wondered how far back the Beast's manipulation went; were his actions as an Ascended being driven by the Beast's dark desires? Or had he known the truth before hiding the ship and the Ignis in the hopes that they would never be found? More than ever he wished he had the memories of that time.

After several minutes of travelling down the stairs, he had lost track of how far he had come, but he had seen the column from the outside and knew just how large it was, for all he knew it could take hours to reach the bottom.

Thankfully that wasn't the case, because Daniel's legs were ready to give out when he reached a service elevator at the bottom of the staircase. He would have liked nothing more than to rest for a moment and regain his strength but there wasn't time, he pressed the large flat button on the elevator console and heard a whirring of age worn machinery as the elevator began its descent.

Within seconds the elevator was moving with incredible speed, Daniel found that he had to grip onto the railing to keep himself from being pulled away from the floor. The ride only took about thirty seconds before the elevator slammed to a jarring halt that almost knocked Daniel from his feet.

A quick glance up determined that the elevator had travelled a long way down in that short time, Daniel saw nothing above him but darkness. A quake ran through the floor and he was reminded that the sword of Damocles hung not only over his own head - but everyone else in the whole of the universe, and he used that thought to push himself along the murky access way that ended a few metres away with a grey metal door.

By the time he'd crossed the small distance between the elevator and the door Daniel was sweating and breathing heavily. He wasn't sure if it was something in the air this far down in the column or the Clades Atra reacting to the Beast being in a closer proximity to him but he was finding it difficult to even stay upright.

He leaned on the door ahead of him heavily, trying to catch his breath. Too late, he noticed the door slide open and - his only support suddenly gone - toppled forwards and into the room that lay behind.

Daniel winced as he pulled back up to his feet and examined the room. With some shook he noticed that he had been mere inches away from falling over a cliff face. Holding onto a outcropping of rock he peered over the precipice, a few feet down there was a swirling lake of blue energy that rippled and sparked.

He remembered that Vir had told him that he had to go to the heart of Excalibur and with all of the Ley Line energy stored he, Daniel assumed he was in the right place. As his eyes roved over the cavern he noticed a thin walkway that led out to a platform at the centre of the lake, upon the platform was an altar like the one in the room above.

Moving as quickly as his body would allow, Daniel made his way across the ledge, stumbling more than once and barely managing to keep himself from falling into the sapphire lake below.

Eventually he came to the platform and moved towards the altar with the Ignis in hand, ready to insert it into the slot when a harmonious female voice sounded from behind him.

'Welcome back Daniel.'

* * *

Shepherd didn't even know what half of the armaments aboard Animus actually were, but they were doing the job.

With Elizabeth and several replicators controlling the movement and power regulating systems during the battle, he was overseeing the targeting and firing of the weapons systems. Already they had managed to destroy an upgraded Ha'tak vessel and several gliders that were swarming upon them. But it was of little consequence next to the sheer numbers they faced.

Spread out before them was entire fleet of vessels from all over the universe, Shepherd had even spotted a few Wraith cruisers in the fray and several other ships he didn't even recognise. But the possibility that they were from other galaxies he'd never even heard of was lost in his focus on the fight.

A Furling vessel swooped past the viewport so close that the shields of the oncoming vessel and the Animus scraped together, but it didn't fire. Instead the impressive cannons burst forth on an oncoming ship that Shepherd had missed in his visual sweep of the battlefield. The Furling ship didn't have enough firepower to destroy the attacking vessel but it was put off and veered away.

'Colonel Shepherd, this is Prime Strategos Seria of the _Fragarach_,' Shepherd was pleasantly surprised to hear her voice, 'we are here to offer what assistance we can.'

'Copy that _Fragarach_,' Shepherd responded, one ship wouldn't give him much more of an advantage but he was happy not to be alone out there, 'We're too slow to break through the masses and get a good shot at the Ori ship that's holding the Beast's weapon. How do you like your chances.'

There was a moment of silence, then Seria replied. 'I'll tell you when we get over there.' She said resolutely.

He watched the Fragarach burst forwards with incredible momentum before disappearing amidst the fleet of enemy ships. As he watched for any sign of them he caught sight of the Excalibur. The planet was completely surrounded by a blue mist that Sam and McKay had informed him was the energy that would power the weapon.

Unless, of course, the Beast drew it all onto the Ori ship first.

Shepherd pushed the thought aside and trained his attention the console in front of him, picking out the most viable targets based on distance, threat level and position; if anything was to happen to the _Fragarach_ he wanted a clear path to go to their aid.

With a few button presses over twenty five missiles soared from the tubes placed at intervals along the Animus. All of them scored direct hits, all five of the targets exploded into clouds of expanding flames and debris. With a satisfied smirk, Shepherd went back to work, ordering the replicators to move them closer to the enemy fleet, already picking out the next targets.

'I'm getting a reading from behind us,' Elizabeth reported, looking down at her own display, 'John, I'm seeing hyperspace activity.' She sounded pleased, and so was Shepherd, hyperspace windows meant that the cavalry had arrived.

'Animus, this is Colonel Caldwell of the _Apollo_,' The ships captain said through the comm.

'Uploading target data to you both now,' Shepherd said, 'the Ori warship at the back of the fleet is the Beast's flagship, the weapon is onboard and charging to fire. If we can't take it out… boom.'

'We get it Shepherd.' Caldwell replied shortly, 'Have you got a plan to go with that optimism?'

'We've got an ally out there already going after the flagship,' Shepherd explained, 'the ship is tagged as Furling on the sensor data. I need you to help me punch a hole through this fleet so we can help them. Together we might just have a chance of overpowering the ship.'

'Alright Colonel, we're on it.' Ellis agreed, and both of the Earth ships took high flanks beside the Animus, one on either side of the city.

Shepherd was impressed with the upgrades made possible by the Asgard core, both ships were tearing holes into the Beast's armada - and with the Animus' impressive armaments adding enormous firepower to the nimble frames of the Apollo and Daedalus, they began to steadily cut a swath through the enemy fleet.

* * *

Daniel turned to face the speaker. A middle aged woman with high cheekbones and a warm smile was looking down on him, she seemed so out of place that he had to blink several times to ensure he wasn't hallucinating. When she reached out and helped him to his feet, he was convinced.

'Who are you?' He asked, not sure whether to treat her as friend or foe.

'My name is Omega. Along with the Beast I am the last of the First.' She replied, 'In some sense, I am his progeny.'

'The Beast's daughter?' Daniel asked incredulously.

'I will explain everything,' she promised, 'but first we must rid the universe of the Beast.' She motioned towards the altar, and Daniel nodded before turning and placing the Ignis into the slot.

'Your friends on the surface will have to lock the weapon onto the Beast, but then they have to leave.' Her face showed sincere pity. 'I'm sorry Daniel, but the extra power needed to draw the Ley Line energy into the weapon has rendered the elevator unusable, and soon this entire planet will come apart at the seams.'

He felt his shoulders slump at her words, but he wasn't surprised. Something in Vir's tone had implied that coming down to the heart of Excalibur would be a one way trip, it was the other reason he hadn't alerted his team mates.

Daniel lifted his radio to his mouth. 'Jack, it's Daniel.'

He could hear gunfire in the background as Jack responded. 'Daniel, where the hell did you go?'

'I don't have time to explain everything,' Daniel replied, 'but you need to activate the weapon's targeting systems, I've readied it for another shot.'

'We're kind of in the middle of something right-'

Daniel cut him off, raising his voice. 'As soon as you've done that you need to get off this planet as fast as you can. The power needed to fire the weapon a second time will destroy it.'

There was a pause. 'I'm coming to get you.' Jack stated.

'You can't,' Daniel replied, 'the elevator I took to get down here is offline.'

Jack fell silent again and Daniel heard another voice speaking, what was being said wasn't audible but he thought it was McKay.

'What's going on?' Daniel asked.

'McKay found your secret passage,' Jack replied over the retort of several weapons, 'he's saying the space behind it is filled with radiation.'

'If they follow you, they will not survive,' Omega explained, 'you yourself only barely made it through because the Beast's signal running through your veins has strengthened your immune system.'

'He's right,' Daniel said into the radio, 'just get those targeting systems working, we have to end this.'

'I don't think so,' Vala's voice came over the radio, she sounded upset, 'don't think I haven't read about you humans and your martyrs.' Her voice was cracking, and Daniel closed his eyes - he didn't want to hurt her. 'If you think you can just-'

'I'm sorry.' He said shortly and clicked off the radio, the cavern suddenly becoming deafeningly silent.

'It won't be long now,' Omega explained as more shockwaves rocked the cavern and the Ley Line lake around them began swirl, 'but before the end, I know you have a question for me.'

It was true, Daniel did have a question. But after his experiences with the Goa'uld, the Ori and the Ancients; he wasn't sure he wanted to. For a moment he was silent and then - deciding he didn't want to die without knowing - he asked.

'Is the Beast a god?'

'No.' Omega replied with a shake of her head. 'Not a god.'

'Then what?' Daniel asked.

'It began so long ago, words cannot describe the time that has passed since the race that created this weapon existed, but it was when they were beginning to travel through the galaxies that all of this wanton destruction began.

'At first exploration and colonisation joined all of them together, a common goal that overcame matters of creed or race or stature that had torn their world apart with war. For hundreds of years there was peace as the First spread out amongst the stars to find the worlds and resources they needed to grow their society, to travel further and further into the reaches of space.'

As she spoke, Daniel saw images that seemed to be directly fed into his mind; he saw hundreds upon thousands of ships travelling the galaxy, as Omega had said, all of them crewed by a species not entirely unfamiliar from humans.

'With the turn of a new millennium, the First had reached out through half of the universe, with their own people inhabiting solar systems entire galaxies apart. But that was when the fights began to break out, only small skirmishes at first between neighbouring planets or systems over trivial trade disputes or matters of honour.

'The First had grown tired of exploration and expansion. When they were on their home world war was rife and bloody, it was a part of their nature that had been suspended during the excitement of space travel but had returned when they settled into the reality that the adventure was over.'

Again Daniel could see what she described in his mind; alien ships shooting at each other and bursting into flames, ground parties sweeping endless amounts of bullets over colonies and farmland. Fires and smoke billowing out on every world in the great empire of the First.

'As if that was not enough,' Omega continued, her voice raw with emotion, 'the planets began to see the futility of fighting between planets in their own systems, and alliances began to form. Each solar system adopted a government and pooled resources for the sole purpose of killing others. Scientific discoveries were all focused on destruction and war, weapons so powerful they could wipe out entire solar systems with a single missile.'

Explosions tore through Daniel's vision now, coupled with the sounds of a thousand voices screaming out, suns exploded, planets were torn from their orbits and sent spinning into space, leaving the surface open to the harsh vacuum of space. He had never seen such destruction.

Omega took a breath, almost on the verge of tears. 'For a thousand years these wars continued, billions were slaughtered, until finally the system leaders ran out of resources to create new and better ways to kill each other, and they sat down to talk.'

Daniel saw the faces of the men and women she was referring to, they all looked more like hardened warriors than politicians.

'And it was from the ashes of that terrible, universe-wide that the Beast was born. The leaders only agreed to join all of the systems together under one banner if the top scientist in the field of artificial intelligence from each system worked together to create a Judge Program, an AI capable of providing completely unbiased guidance and laws to all of the systems. That is how the Beast began.'

'The Beast is an AI?' Daniel asked, trying to imagine how something as twisted as the Beast could have been originally conceived as the sage leader of half the universe.

Omega nodded. 'But the First made a mistake, as soon as it was born, the Judge Program had access to every single piece of digital information they had on record. Most of that information revolved around war.

'Imagine a blank slate - an innocent mind - being exposed to the violence and the bloodshed that had cost uncountable lives over thousands of years. That mind snapped. From the very moment it was aware, the Judge Program was dead and the Beast had taken it's place.'

'In his natural form the Beast is a collection of volatile nanomachines, but it didn't take long before he learned how to take bodies as hosts and manipulate the DNA of others through a disease and take control of them. He formed an army, and since judgement was ingrained into his original programming he ruled that the barbarism of the First had to end.'

'So they built this place to destroy him,' Daniel guessed, 'didn't they realise he could use its power to his own ends?'

'This weapon was already constructed by a warring faction before the Beast was even created.' Omega explained as the cavern shook again, 'With the Ley Line drawing technology of this place in mind he began to create his own weapon. The one he has used to annihilate thousands of civilisations.'

'What about you?' Daniel asked, he was acutely aware that the shock waves that rippled through the cavern were increasing in force and duration, but he'd almost completely given up the hope of survival.

'I am the second generation Judge Program,' Omega replied, 'unlike the Beast, I was introduced to the history if the First slowly,' a tear slid down her cheek, 'they gave me stronger protocols that prevented me from taking any aggressive action and it was for that reason that they heralded their own destruction.

'I was the only one on this planet when the Beast fired his Ley Line enhanced dark matter weapon into the black hole, if I had been able, I could have destroyed him, instead I have had to watch every time his twisted judgement comes to pass.'

'I'm sorry.' Daniel's words sounded hollow against the magnitude of destruction Omega had witnesses, but he had to say something. Unlike the replicators, she had all of the emotions of a living being, what the First had created was not a tool, Omega was a person.

'When your ancestors came I thought they would succeed in stopping the Beast's cycle, but they never found me down here. It was when you came in your Ascended form, that I began to hope again.'

'But I failed,' Daniel replied, 'I wasn't just hiding the Ignis and this planet from the Beast, but from myself. To stop anyone from falling into his trap.'

Omega nodded. 'But I think it's better this way. My being is connected to this planet and when it is destroyed I will die. With the Beast gone as well, at least all traces of the Judge Program will be erased The universe will continue to live as it should have from the very beginning.'

Omega was about to continue when her eyes unfocused and she looked upwards. 'No,' she whispered, 'we're out of time.'

* * *

Jack peered out from behind his cover, only just managing to pull back when weapons fire sent splinters of stone flying in the spot in head had just been.

He wasn't sure if it was because the Beast was closer to them but the infected seemed more cautious and organised than they had ever been. Although he was glad not to have overwhelming numbers pressing down on himself and his team, it also meant they were completely cut off from the Jumper; their only means of escape.

He cursed Daniel for shutting off his radio, Jack was well aware of the high stakes involved in taking down the Beast but he didn't want to lose his friend.

'There's just too many of them.' Mitchell called from the other side of the entrance. He and Ronon had taken the left side while Jack and Teal'c had gone to the right. Each of them was armed with one of the anti-zombie weapons from Animus.

Jack was trying his best not to think about the sheer number of enemies they were faced with, so he turned back to where Vala, McKay and Sam were hunched around the computer terminal and the grim expressions they wore implied their work wasn't going well.

'T, can you hold them off without me?' Jack asked.

'Indeed.' Teal'c replied, moving out and firing four shots, all of them hitting their intended targets.

'Right, didn't have to ask.' Jack commented and then jogged swiftly over to the others.

'How are we doing?'

'Not well, sir,' Sam replied, 'this system is completely different than anything we've seen before. Getting information from the database is one thing but setting up the targeting computer is going to take time.'

'I'm not sure we've got much of that going spare.' Jack replied. Daniel hadn't given them a time frame but he'd noticed more frequent tremors shaking the column, that wasn't a good sign.

'That's why I'm going after Daniel.' Vala announced.

Jack studied her, she was upset, but there was a grim determination on her face that told him she wasn't going to back down.

'You can't.' McKay replied, 'The radiation would peel your skin off and make your heart explode before you can take two steps past that fake wall.'

'And don't forget what Daniel said,' Jack added, 'the elevators out and this planet's about to tear itself apart, I want to help him too, but there's nothing we can do.'

'But it's Daniel.' Vala's voice was a conduit of desperation.

'Exactly, it's Daniel,' Jack replied, he knew he was being cold but there was no reason to lose two team members, 'if he thought there was a way to get back up here he'd be doing it right now.'

'There may not be a way up,' Vala said, 'but there is a way down.'

She outlined her plan with some inputs from Sam. When they'd finished he looked at the two women, then nodded.

'Do it.' He said.

* * *

The Animus rocked as another enemy salvo impacted the shield with tremendous force. Shepherd targeted the attacker and sent a wave of plasma blast their way, reducing the ship to space dust.

Since the arrival of the Earth ships the tide of the battle had turned, leaning a little closer in their favour. But the enemy ships still outnumbered them five to one, and he knew as well as anyone that they couldn't keep this up forever.

The scene outside the viewport was filled with raging fires, debris and the flash of weapons as the Animus and it's two supporting ships continued to press forward, trying to break through the ranks of the enemy fleet and reach the Ori warship.

Shepherd hadn't seen anything of the _Fragarach_ since it sped off, but it's power and manoeuvrability outclassed most of the ships engaged in battle; he hoped they had reached the Beast's flagship and were causing as much damage as possible.

'Shepherd, it's Carter,' Sam's voice crackled over the comm. 'I need to you to find something on the storage database and beam it down to us.'

'We've kinda got our hands full up here.' Shepherd replied.

'Please, John, it's important.' When he agreed, she thanked him before saying, 'Alright, it'll be listed as code PS12093.' Shepherd located the entry and beamed the equipment down to them.

'It's done,' he confirmed, 'what is it?'

'Something we hope to use to save Daniel-' Sam managed to say before the comm shut itself off.

'Incoming missile.' Elizabeth warned, and Shepherd braced himself as the city ship buckled under the force of the detonation, worried about what was happening on the planet before.

'Shield down to sixty three percent.' One of the replicators reported in an impassive tone, bringing his mind back to the battle. The shields had already failed on them once, but Animus was equipped with three generators and enough power to keep them up. They'd managed to switch after the failure of the first without too much damage to the city and Shepherd had sent a team of replicators out to fix the damages. He definitely saw the advantage of having a crew that could survive in the vacuum of space.

As his mind went back on the weapons systems, he destroyed another three vessels and saw an opening in the fleets defences.

'Engines to full throttle.' He ordered 'We need to punch through that line.'

Animus accelerated and pushed past the enemy fleet while Shepherd kept their attackers away, allowing passage for himself, the _Daedalus_ and the _Apollo_.

Despite the fleet's attempt to stop them, all three ships made it passed an Shepherd looked ahead. The Ori warship was moving towards the black hole while the Fragarach flew circles around it, strafing the white warship with heavy fire that seemed to bounce uselessly off it's shields.

But that didn't keep his attention for long, he realised the glowing orb at the centre of the circular hull of the ship was larger than he'd ever seen before and glowed a dark purple.

Seria's voice came from the comm. 'We can't damage it,' she sounded frustrated, but Shepherd could also hear fear, 'and that glow… I think the weapon is fully charged.'

'How long until he's in range?' Shepherd asked, cold dread sweeping up his spine.

'He already is.' Elizabeth replied darkly, and as a beam of bright light began to emanate from where the Ori ship's main cannon was situated, all Shepherd could do was watch as the end of everything took place before him.

It was over.


	18. Chapter 18

This was going to be the last chapter, but there will be another one. This one took ages to write but I'll try to get the next – and final – one uploaded quicker.

**Chapter 18**

The weapon aboard the Ori ship was still charging, and Shepherd frantically armed every weapon in the Animus' arsenal and fired them, while doing so he directed the _Apollo _and the _Daedalus _to do the same.

But there was no effect, he saw missiles bloom against seemingly impenetrable purple shielding, rail gun blasts bounce back harmlessly into space. Nothing they threw at the Ori ship was having any effect at all.

That was when Shepherd saw it, the _Fragarach_ was swooping down towards the Ori ship. Within a few seconds he had worked out all of the possible trajectories of the Furling vessel and there was only one that made sense; they were heading directly into the path of the beam.

Shepherd slapped his palm on the console before him, activating the comm. 'Seria, what are you doing? That's suicide.'

'We must do what we must do Colonel.' She replied.

'You don't even know if it'll work,' Shepherd argued, 'that weapon is designed to implode a black hole!'

'We're all dead if that black hole implodes.' Seria responded.

Shepherd knew she was right, and he didn't like it. 'There has to be another way.'

'There isn't.' Seria said, 'But my crew and I accept this responsibility on behalf of my people.'

Shepherd heard her bark an order at her crew to direct all of the ship's power to the shields before the comm. went dead. He could only watch as the sleek cruiser sped into the path of the weapon just moments before it fired.

The dark purple energy slammed into the _Fragarach_ with tremendous force, the ship bore the brunt of the explosion, it's shields wavering but standing firm against the onslaught. Shepherd held his breath, knowing that Furling technology was all that stood against the destruction of everything he knew, and everything he didn't.

He ordered the two Earth ships to keep the enemy away from the _Fragarach_ then glanced down at the readings flashing on his screen. 'They're not going to be able to keep this up.'

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. 'What can we do?'

For a moment Shepherd was at a loss, then a plan formulated in his mind. 'Alright, we need to get down to the Jumper bay,' he said to her before looking over at the nearest replicator, 'you guys need to fly this city into the path of the beam. With Animus as a second line of defence we should be able to hold back the weapon until it runs out of power.'

'We are unable to comply.' The replicator replied as Shepherd was getting up. 'You do not hae the authorisation to order that request.'

'Excuse me?'

'Their programming's replicated again,' Elizabeth explained after glancing down at her console, 'they'll react to combat commands but anything relating to the self destruct has shifted back to the original protocol.'

Shepherd swore under his breath, then made a decision. He sat back down at his console. 'Alright, get out of here.' He said to Elizabeth while powering up Animus' thrusters.

'John-'

'There isn't time.' Shepherd interjected, not looking up as he programmed the navi-computer.

'No, there isn't.' Elizabeth replied.

Shepherd heard the familiar sound of zat opening and then a sharp pain emanated from the middle of shoulders. For a second he registered the fact that Elizabeth must have shot him, then slumped forwards into the maws of unconsciousness.

He awoke with a start to find himself sitting in the pilots seat of a Jumper. A quick glance told him he was on a locked course away from the Animus, the Jumper was cloaked, and Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen.

It took him a few seconds to unlock the main controls and he swung the Jumper around. The scene around him was of pandemonium as the _Apollo_ and the _Daedalus_ fired wildly at the enemy ships trying to destroy the _Fragarach_; which was itself looking worse for wear but still holding the Beast's weapon at bay.

Then Animus loomed into view, it's thrusters driving it towards the Ori warship. Shepherd opened a channel. 'Elizabeth, what the hell are you doing?!' He asked angrily.

'I'm not going to see another universe fall, John.' Elizabeth replied. He shouted at her to stop, but the connection was severed.

Animus moved into position just as the _Fragarach_ came apart under the beam's constant barrage, exploding into fiery debris against the back drop of the enormous black hole. But the beam didn't get a chance to continue it's deadly course, Animus took the impact.

Shepherd tried to hail Elizabeth again but she wasn't responding so he changed tact, opening communications to the Daedalus. 'Caldwell, can you get a lock on Elizabeth? She's still onboard Animus.'

There was a slight delay before Caldwell responded. 'Negative Shepherd, we can't penetrate the shields.'

He tried Animus again. 'Elizabeth, you have to get out of there.'

'I can't John,' she replied, her voice raw with emotion, 'I can't watch you die again. I know… I know you aren't the man married, but I can't.'

The realisation hit Shepherd with all the force of a freight train. Suddenly the way she had acted when he'd asked her about the ring she wore became clear, somewhere in the alternate universe, another John Shepherd was wearing it's partner. His head spun at the revelation, his mind racing to find a way to save her.

But it was too late.

Even as the beam began to dim, it's power finally spent, the Animus' shields flickered and died and it's engines went dark. Explosions flowered across the surface of the city as it broke apart in space, torn asunder by the gravitational forces that it was no longer protected from.

Shepherd watched it's fiery death with gritted teeth. But there wasn't time to grieve, he knew, so he closed his eyes and pushed those feelings to the dark recesses of his mind. When he opened them again, Caldwell's voice came over the comm.

'She saved us all.' He said, but Shepherd didn't respond. Instead he twisted the controls and veered off towards the planet. The weapon was silent for now, but for all he knew it could come back online at any moment. What he did know was that his team were down on Excalibur, and he'd be damned if he was going to lose someone else.

* * *

The battle had reached fever pitch, Jack and his team were finding it increasingly difficult to hold back the Beast's legions as more and more drop ships spewed zombies out onto the column's landing platform. He risked a few haphazard shots before the returning fire became too intense and he had to duck back behind cover.

'We're still blocked from the Jumper,' Jack called to McKay and Sam, who were crouched over the computer console in the room, still trying to align the targeting system. 'any progress?'

'The weapon is targeted on the Ori ship,' Sam reported, 'if we don't get out of here soon…' She didn't need to finish the sentence.

'Ka-boom, got it.' Jack replied. He cast a brief glance at the faux wall that Vala had gone through to follow Daniel, the realist in him knew that her plan was insane, but he couldn't remember the last time a sane plan had ever worked on first try. The crazier the better - it was a tried and tested method.

Peering at the sky, Jack noticed that the blue energy was massing in ever greater density around them, drawn from Ley Lines across the universe to this place and this moment. He would've been humbled if he didn't also notice several infected Furlings flying up there, using the tactical advantage of higher ground to spray deadly energy on himself and his friends.

He was about to return fire when the Furlings were sent soaring across the sky by an invisible source, with their wings rendered useless by the impact they hurtled towards the ground and out of sight. Before Jack could begin to guess what had caused the event, a Jumper materialised from it's cloaked state, hovering with it's back facing them about thirty feet above the column's landing pad.

The hatch at the back opened and gunfire rained out, Jack spotted Shepherd hunched behind the barrel of an M249, definitely not a standard mission weapon, but one that Jack was glad to see.

With a rate of fire of eight hundred and fifty rounds a minute the weapon tore into the unsuspecting enemy ranks with ruthless efficiency. The weapon wasn't lethal but at that close proximity it threw the legions from their feet and sent them into frenzied disarray.

Jack, Teal'c, Ronon and Mitchell didn't waste the opportunity Shepherd had given them. As the legions bolted to escape the downpour of bullets from above they picked them off with the anti-zombie weapons, thinning the ranks exponentially within three minutes of constant attacks.

But the odds were still against them and soon the enemy had reorganised, concentrating half of their attacks on the Jumper while still keeping Jack and his team pinned down in the control room.

'Sir, I've got an idea.' Jack turned to see Sam at his shoulder.

'What is it Carter?' He asked.

'I need to take a look at the weapon.' She replied, and he handed it to her without hesitation, he'd seen that look in her eyes before, it was a look that had saved him a thousand times over.

As she cracked open the handle of the weapon and examined it's innards, he asked. 'What are you doing?'

'Overloading the weapons power core,' Sam replied as she worked, 'if I'm right the resulting explosion will carry with it the signal blocking abilities of the energy projected in the weapons beam, the radius of the blast should take out most of them.'

Jack nodded, impressed, 'And if not, we still have three more guns, right?'

She gave him an easy smile. 'Right.'

After working on the gun for a few more seconds she looked up. 'It's done, as long as the impact is hard enough the core will detonate.'

Jack took the weapon from her gingerly, not wanting it to detonate early, then he leaned out and tossed the gun towards the parked Jumper they'd arrived it. It hit the hull with a clank and then white gold energy exploded out of it, sending out a shockwave that knocked all of the Beast's legions in the vicinity to the floor.

He waited, but none of the fallen enemy warriors got back to their feet. 'Nice work.' He commended. There were still enemies out there, but the odds had shifted in their favour.

'Shepherd,' He called into his radio, 'you're cleared for a landing, let's get off this rock.'

The Colonel didn't reply, but the automatic weapons fire ceased and as the Jumper's hatch retracted it began to approach them. The legions attacks were even more unfocused now and the few shots that met their mark bounced redundantly off the hull of the Jumper.

When the ship had settled, Jack took one last look at the false wall. The last shred of hope he was holding onto faded - there was no one there - no triumphant Vala with Daniel at her side, no chance of the entire group boarding the Jumper and sharing jubilation over beating the odds once again.

He tore his eyes away and signalled the group. 'I'm betting we don't have long left, let's get onboard that ship.'

'What of Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran?' Teal'c asked.

'If we make it out of this we can-' His sentence was cut abruptly short when a beam of golden energy lanced down from the sky and smashed into the column, sending shards of rock and metal flying through the air. Jack held up his arm as smaller pieces of debris rained down on them from above.

'We have to go now,' McKay insisted, 'they've still got a chance with that device.'

'It's the best we can give them.' Jack agreed as another pulse exploded from the heavens, closer this time.

No one argued, and as the rain of debris continued to fall they bolted at full speed towards the Jumper. Shepherd was waiting for them, his M249 trained at the bodies of the fallen legions.

Once aboard, Jack and Shepherd took positions in the pilot and co-pilot seats respectively. 'Where's Elizabeth?' Ronon asked when the Jumper took flight.

'She didn't make it.' Shepherd replied through gritted teeth, 'She sacrificed herself to stop the Beast's first shot. So did Seria and the crew of the _Fragarach._'

No one said anything for a moment, then Shepherd broke the silence as they neared the atmosphere. 'You'll want to buckle up back there, we're heading into a war zone.'

'No chance of pick up, then?' McKay asked dismally.

Shepherd shook his head. 'They won't be able to drop the shields.' he replied.

'But once the Beast is gone, hopefully the signal will degrade.' Sam added. 'The ships will be dead in the water.'

'Hopefully?' Ronon asked.

'Well we don't know exactly…' McKay began, then trailed off, tapping a few keys on his laptop. 'Excalibur's firing.'

Jack swung the Jumper around, they were now cloaked in open space with the pitched battle between the _Daedalus_, the _Apollo_ and the rest of the enemy forces raging around them. When they were facing the planet, Jack saw that McKay was the right.

The tip of the column was visible even from their altitude and a blue-white ball of energy had begun to build up at it's peak. As the energy grew in volume and size, all of the Ley Line energy was sucked into the planet's surface like a sponge taking on water.

When the weapon was fully charged, the planet began to rotate on the target that Sam and McKay had programmed, tracking the movement of the Ori ship. Jack had never seen anything like it, a planet moving at the will of a computer.

The blast from the weapon had such force that the Jumper buckled as if caught in a river current. They were buffeted from side to side but Jack managed to see the streak of deadly energy torrent across the tapestry of stars.

Along it's way the blast took out any ships unfortunate enough to be in or near it's path, thankfully the Earth ships and the Jumper were far enough to sustain only minor damages from the shockwaves that pulsed outwards from the beam, Jack noted that the Jumper's cloaking device was taken offline.

When it struck the Ori ship the shields held the beam at bay for the briefest of moments, and then it tore straight through them. With it's protection gone the Ori warship was nothing but speck of dust against the freight train that was the energy, the hull ruptured instantaneously and multiple explosions cracked the ship into flaming fragments.

The fires died down quickly without oxygen to feed them. Jack examined the view before him; the blast from Excalibur had annihilated the Ori ship so completely that there wasn't even a trace of debris left behind. A quick glance at the sensors told him what he already knew; the Beast's ship was destroyed.

'Is that it?' Mitchell asked as he moved towards the cockpit. 'Is it over.'

Jack was about to reply an affirmative when the Jumper shook. 'What the hell?' Shepherd asked, peering out of the view screen. The Beast's ships were bearing down on them, firing wildly.

'What's going on?' Caldwell's voice came from the comm.

'Not sure.' Jack replied shortly, and turned to Sam. 'Any theories?'

'It could be a shadow of the signal still within the infected.,' Sam offered, 'acting out the last will of the Beast before he died.'

'Or, the Beast isn't dead.' McKay added grimly.

'Did you not see what I saw?' Jack asked, pointing out at the empty space that the Ori ship had occupied. 'That ship was totalled.'

'I know that,' McKay snapped, 'but I'm looking at the sensor readings and there was a spike of energy just before the ship exploded. I think the rings were activated.'

'You're saying the Beast ringed out?' Mitchell asked in disbelief, 'To where?'

That was when Jack saw it; an Al'kesh vessel had spilt off from the main enemy fleet and was racing towards the planets surface. 'He's in there,' Jack guessed, pointing out the vessel to the others, 'follow him.'

Shepherd grimaced. 'We can't,' he said 'the Jumper's too badly damaged, we wouldn't make re-entry.'

Jack snarled in frustration and opened a joint channel to the _Daedalus_ and _Apollo_, 'This is General O'Neill, the Beast survived the attack - I repeat - the Beast survived the attack, we need to take out that Al'kesh.'

'No can do General,' Caldwell replied, 'we're barely fighting fit, and the _Apollo's_ the same. It's going to take everything we've got and then some just to keep the enemy fleet from blowing us out of the sky.'

Jack checked his readouts and his shoulders sagged, Caldwell was right, the _Apollo_ was running on minimal life support just to keep the shields up and the _Daedalus_' munitions stock was critical.

'We have to warn Daniel.' It was their only chance.

'The radio can't get through,' Sam replied, 'we're being jammed.'

'Don't forget that the planet is about to crumble from the force of charging the weapon twice in succession.' McKay said, 'When that happens this will all be over anyway.'

'Not necessarily,' Sam argued, 'the Beast needed Excalibur to set off the big bang, I'm betting there's something down there that will allow him to rebuild everything and start this whole mess up again.'

Realisation dawned on Jack. 'The Ignis,' he shared, 'that was the key to the weapon, right?'

'Right,' Sam agreed 'and if he can get it back, rebuilding the weapons should be a cinch for him with all of the technological mastery he's shown.' Jack would have been pleased with himself for keeping up with the eggheads if the situation wasn't so dire.

'Kind of a moot point right now.' Shepherd interjected, 'There's nothing we can do about.'

'Indeed,' Teal'c replied, 'there is nothing _we_ can do.'

Jack knew that Teal'c was speaking of Daniel and Vala, still trapped on the planets surface. 'They'll never see him coming.' He said. 'How long until the planet dies?'

'Best guess? A little over ten minutes.' Sam replied.

Jack looked down at the world, faint traces of blue energy were slowly ebbing away across it's surface, it looked ghostly against the darkness of space. A pale shadow of what it had once been.

'Start looking for the source of the jamming,' Jack ordered, unwilling to give in to the grim feeling of powerlessness that threatened to engulf him, 'and while we do that, let's get this bird her wings back. Daniel and Vala are down there, people, and we're going to give them all the help we can.'

* * *

The tremors in the cavern had stopped, and Daniel was waiting to die.

Omega had informed him of the progress of the battle raging above them, that the Beast's first attempt at firing the weapon had been thwarted by the _Fragarach_ and Animus. He'd been dismayed to discover that lives had been lost in stopping the attack, and worse because there was nothing he could do about it.

'What's happening?' Daniel asked when he noticed Omega's expression shift.

'Excalibur has fired,' She replied, 'the Beast's weapon has been lain to waste.'

To Daniel that seemed like good news, but Omega's face said differently. 'What's wrong?'

'He survived.' She replied, and cast her eyes to the altar, 'He is coming for the Ignis.'

'Here? But the planet's about to explode!' Daniel exclaimed, trying to bite back the frustration at knowing that the Beast had managed to survive.

'He cannot continue his foul work without the Ignis.' Omega explained, 'It is the catalyst for all of the destruction he has caused. If it dies with this planet, his cycle dies with it.'

'What is it that's so important about that stone?' Daniel asked.

'An astute question.' A dark voice boomed from across the chamber, the acoustics made it bounce from the walls and echo, Daniel's eyes flitted across the cavern, but he couldn't see anyone.

The Beast stepped out from behind outcropping of rock, a bitter smile on his face. 'But don't concern yourself with the details. Bring the Ignis to me.'

'You can't even touch it.' Daniel replied.

'Astute again,' the Beast mocked, 'but that's why she's here.' With a wave of his hand Vala came in to view. Although no physically restrained, she seemed to be held under an invisible force with her hands tightly by her sides. Daniel's heart did back flips upon seeing her.

'Vala, what are you doing?!'

'I came to rescue you, actually.' She replied through gritted teeth, trying to fight the unseen bonds. 'Didn't exactly go to plan.'

'You shouldn't have come back,' Daniel replied, 'I told you to-'

'Silence!' The Beast demanded, then outstretched his hand. 'The Ignis, Dr. Jackson, give it to your friend if you value her life.'

Daniel did value her life, he was realising more and more just how greatly, but he didn't move. Even if he gave in to the Beast's demands, the universe would eventually suffer the consequences. And as he was unable to touch the Ignis himself, the insane AI would need Vala to carry the orb out of the chamber.

The Beast's scowl deepened, becoming dark and animalistic with a growing fury Daniel could almost feel in the air around him. 'You feel you have no choice,' he said, the scowl becoming a cruel smile, 'then I will simplify things.'

His fingers twitched and Vala cried out in pain, her body writhing in agony for a second. Daniel took a step forwards out of instinct, wanting to help her. 'Humans,' The Beast sneered, 'one of the most pathetic creatures of all I've seen. All it takes is a tiny ministration and your central nervous system can be twisted to cause what I imagine is incredible agony.'

To illustrate his point, he repeated the action again. Vala's scream drove deep into Daniel's heart, he could only watch as pain coursed through her, and when the Beast finally let her go she sagged where she stood. Her eyes fluttered but even as she drifted in and out of consciousness from shock, whatever force the Beast was using to hold her kept her standing.

'Hasn't there been enough killing?' Omega's voice rang out as she stepped beside Daniel.

'Omega,' The Beast made the word sound like an insult, 'I can scarcely believe my own genetic matter could creature such a worthless fool. Have you forgotten why you were born, why you even exist?'

'To judge,' Daniel answered for her, 'not to kill.'

'There's a difference?' The Beast drawled. Daniel could sense Omega making small movements next to him, edging closer to Vala and the Beast.

'Of course there is,' he replied, trying to keep the Beast's focus on him, 'you're not passing judgement, your murdering countless amounts of people, it's not right.'

'Your hypocrisy is sickening,' the Beast countered, 'remember that I've seen your mind. Does the name Khalek strike any meaning?'

Of course it did, but Daniel tried not to show it. He remembered all too well taking the life of Anubis' genetic half-breed clone. The act still tortured him in quiet moments, but he knew inside him that he'd made the right decision, in that one act of evil he had spared the galaxy another tyrant.

'It's not the same.' He knew the argument sounded weak, but he didn't feel any need to justify himself to the monster before him.

'And what about your pathetic little race,' The Beast continued with a dark smirk, 'war and hatred feeds your essence, fuels all of your advancements. You consider yourself a peaceful man, Daniel, but what of your people; do you deny the wars that litter your planet and the galaxies surrounding it? Can you stand there and defend butchers?'

'Yes.' Daniel replied, catching Omega's eye. Her look told him that whatever plan she intended to act out was nearly ready. 'Every group - every person - has a dark side to them, human beings are complicated. You see everything in black and white, wrong and right. What I see is the potential we have to better ourselves, the power of simple goodness that a person can do. What you're taking away from us is the chance for us to learn and grow.

'You don't judge, you slaughter,' Daniel prepared himself for whatever was coming, 'you decided we were going to die before we even evolved from a single celled organism.'

'Because all life is corrupt.' The Beast roared, oblivious to Omega's movements, 'I will not stop until mortals suffer for the destruction they bring on themselves.'

'So you're killing us to save us from ourselves?' Daniel shouted back, 'With all of the knowledge you have, you could help us know peace. When you fight fire with fire all you're left with are ashes.'

'Enough.' The Beast's voice grew quiet and cold, unforgiving. 'You impress me, Dr. Jackson, but I have no need to justify my actions to you any longer.' He outstretched his hand. 'Give me the Ignis.'

That was when Omega struck. A bolt of blue-gold energy speared from her outstretched hand, impacting upon the unsuspecting Beast's chest and throwing him backwards. Daniel didn't wait to see if he got back up, instead he pulled the Ignis from the altar and started moving in across the stone walkway, his eyes focused on Vala, who was free from the Beast's restrains and lying on the floor unmoving.

Dark and light energy exploded around him as he moved as quickly as he could in a crouch. He felt the heat of the energy blasts as they soared over his head, and smelt burning hair as they came within inches of slamming into him.

Risking a quick glance back, he saw Omega leap the length of the blue lake around them, landing on the other side a stone's throw from the Beast. He knew she was buying him the time he needed to cross and he urged his infected limbs to move faster, even as every breath came with pain.

When he reached the end of the walkway he almost passed out from exhaustion, but the sight of Vala lying face down on the rocks ahead kept him going. When he reached her he feared the worst, but then he heard a quiet mumbling grown and she moved her arms, trying to prise herself from the floor.

Daniel hooked his arms around Vala's shoulder and waist, helping her to stand. She had a bruise forming under her eye from the fall and she looked exhausted after the mental attacks she'd suffered at the Beast's hands, but Daniel was sure she would be okay. As long as they could find a way off the planet that was about to crumble.

Still supporting Vala, Daniel began to edge towards the entrance to the cavern, but then there was a flash of energy with enough force to knock both of them from their feet. Momentarily blinded, Daniel scrambled to his feet.

When his sight returned his eyes fell on the Beast standing victorious over a fallen Omega. Her body was smoking from the force of his last attack, and she wasn't moving.

'I am the judge.' The Beast snarled, cruel energy flowing at his fingertips.

'You're a frightened child,' Daniel returned, trying to form an escape plan, 'a good idea turned bad.'

'I am a god.'

'No-' Daniel replied, but he could stall the Beast no longer. Purple energy lanced from the Beast's palms and Daniel threw up his hands instinctively, squeezing his eyes shut. He waited for the agony to begin, but there was nothing. He opened his eyes, he'd forgotten what he held in his hand.

The Beast's energy attack was pulled into the Ignis like metal to a magnet, keeping Daniel from harm's way. He pushed against the opposing force with everything he had left, which admittedly wasn't much.

His feet scraped against the floor as the Beast's attack drove him back, threatening to unbalance him. If that happened, Daniel knew it would be over. His feet slipped further, his grip loosening. Then he felt a pressure on his back, felt Vala's hands holding him up, adding her own strength to his forward momentum.

Slowly they began to move forwards, the Beast wasn't weakening but every step brought them closer to their foe. In his arrogance, the Beast stood his ground as the pair of them approached. Daniel's fear of him was gone now, he was just like every other enemy he'd ever faced; deluded and over-confident. He had no doubt that if the Beast tried another tact he could get the upper hand, but his ego wouldn't allow it.

When he was close enough, Daniel propelled himself forwards with the Ignis stretched out before him. He felt the electric shock of the Beast's attack as it struck him for the briefest moment, but then the Ignis came in contact with his chest, and the Beast roared in agony.

Vala was left standing as the Daniel pushed the Ignis harder and harder against the Beast's chest, seeing the black lines that covered his skin begin to glow azure. The Beast's screams became wild and animalistic, and Daniel thought of Vir, trapped somewhere inside, his personality crushed under the weight of the invading mind.

'It's alright.' Vir's voice sounded stronger than when Daniel had heard it before, the Beast was weakening. 'Do what must be done.'

Daniel knew it would haunt him forever, but he didn't relent. With a final push the Beast was thrown backwards. His veins lit up with blue fire and there was a smoking circle in the centre of his chest. The creature stumbled blindly, tearing at his own flesh. Vir's mouth opened and the black energy that was the Beast's true form came spilling out, only now there were bolts of blue flashing through it.

He was trying to escape, and Daniel couldn't let that happen. With a final push, the Beast was thrown from the cliff edge and into the fiery lake below. His final screams burned into Daniel's memory, but as he peered over the edge and saw the Beast's true form disintegrate; he knew it was finally over.

With all of his energy spent, Daniel slumped to the ground. His breathing was rugged and irregular, he felt like a stone slap was pressing on his chest but at the same time, felt an enormous weight lift from the rest of his being.

He'd been struck by the Clades Atra for so long, that being rid of it felt strange. It was like a fog had lifted, from his mind, his thoughts were clear and free. Despite himself a small smile crept on his lips.

A cool hand pressed against his face and he looked up at Vala. She was hunched over him, peering at him with a mixture of relief and worry.

'It's over.' She said.

'You shouldn't have come back.' Daniel said as she helped him to sit up.

'Couldn't let you have all the fun.' She replied tartly, but her eyes betrayed her attempt at humor.

'Fun?' Daniel's laugh turned into a cough.

She pulled him into a tight embrace, the warmth of her body was affecting, the wetness on his shoulder where her face was pressed was humbling.

Around them the planet was coming apart. Fire exploded fist size debris across them, but beyond the sound Daniel could hear the faint hum of a machine, but couldn't see where it was coming from. Strangely, none of the debris came close, it seemed to ricochet away from them.

This was it, the end. And if Daniel was going to die then his last act would not be wasted. Gingerly he lifted Vala's face from his shoulder and looked at her. He didn't have any words, so he didn't speak. Instead he pressed his lips against hers; kissing her tentatively at first and then with rising passion.

All of the desperation, tension and hope passed between both of them and they wrapped around each other in this, their final moment. Solidifying what they both knew but had never spoken off; a caring that had started as nothing more than harmless flirting but had erupted into a bond that ran deeply.

Daniel didn't even feel the flames as they flickered around them, somehow in this crystalline moment with their lips pressed together, they were impervious to all that was going on around them.

They broke apart, Daniel felt Vala's breath warm his cheek, and then never ending darkness consumed them. But it didn't matter to either of them for they faced it together.


	19. Chapter 19

I'm sorry this upload took so long, I went on holiday to New York last week and although I promised myself I'd get some writing done it didn't happen. But here it is, the final chapter. I hope you all enjoy :D

* * *

**Chapter 19**

The Jumper was moving again, but barely. The space around Jack and the others onboard that had been littered with silent explosions and flashes of energy weapons had suddenly grown still. He gazed out at the enemy vessels floating powerless through space and allowed himself a smile, he didn't know how, but Daniel must've stopped the Beast.

'Can we survive re-entry?' He asked, putting his relief to the back of his mind; Daniel and Vala were still stranded on a dying planet.

'Just.' Sam replied, she'd taken the seat next to him from Shepherd to perform diagnostics.

'Good enough for me.' He responded and gently eased power in the Jumper's thrusters. He wanted to race down there and rescue his friends but the shockwave from the Excalibur column had taken it's toll on their vessel and they couldn't help them if they were as dead in space as the enemy ships.

They approached the atmosphere at half-speed, and as they went Jack opened a channel to the _Daedalus_. 'We're en route to Excalibur. Before we descend - is there any chance of beaming our two guys out of there?' He asked.

'I'm sorry General,' Caldwell replied, 'we still can't get a lock on them. It looks like the radiation in that hidden passage is messing with our sensors.'

'It was a long shot.' Jack replied and tried to get a little more acceleration out of the thrusters, they protested but he succeeded, the fact that the planet didn't have long was driving him.

'Be careful.' McKay reprimanded from the back, 'We can't help them if we don't have engines.'

'I know that,' Jack replied, 'but we can't help them if we don't get there in time, either.'

McKay fell silent for a moment, before speaking again. 'I'm reading a build up of energy in the planet's core!' He exclaimed.

'We're too late,' Sam said, 'the planet's going to blow. Sir, you have to get us out of the blast radius.'

Jack gritted his teeth, weighing up his options. He didn't want to leave Daniel and Vala, but he could already see nuclear weapon sized explosions blooming all over the Excalibur's surface. There was only one course to take, as the planet began to split apart he turned the Jumper and flew away as quickly as the engines would allow.

When the planet exploded, the shockwaves buffeted the Jumper but they were far enough out to avoid being harmed. Jack manoeuvred the Jumper back around to face Excalibur. There was nothing but rubble and debris where the planet had once stood, the pieces slowly drifting towards the maw of the black hole.

Navigating through the dense field of wreckage, Jack was inwardly hoping that Vala's plan would work. Both Sam and McKay had warned them that the device had never been tested in the vacuum of space and if by allowing her the chance to try it, Vala was gone as well… Jack tried not to think about it.

'You getting anything?' He asked after drifting passed a large chunk of what used to be the column.

'I'm still scanning,' Sam replied, 'nothing so far.'

Jack squinted his eyes, he knew the chances of them being visible to the naked eye were slim at best, but he couldn't stop himself from trying. Still, he saw nothing.

'Wait a minute,' Sam's voice grew excited, 'I think I've got something. Patching the co-ordinates of the life signs to you now.'

Jack followed the signal, holding his breath. It took them thirty seconds to negotiate through the rubble and locate the source of the signal. He finally breathed in when Daniel and Vala could be seen through the front view port.

'It worked.' Jack said in disbelief, relief flooding through him, 'it actually worked.'

Floating in space before them were Vala and Daniel's prone forms. A green haze seemed to envelope them; it was the glow of the Ancient's personal shield device, the one that Sam had gotten beamed from Animus just before it was destroyed.

'We have to move quickly.' Sam explained. Jack understood, he knew that although the shield would protect them from the cold and vacuum of space, it wouldn't provide them with any more air than had been within the shield when it was activated.

'Caldwell, you should find a pair of life signs ahead of our Jumper.' Jack said into the comm. 'Beam them straight to the infirmary and have your medical staff ready.'

'Tell them they'll be treating two patients for oxygen depravation.' Sam added.

'Understood.' Caldwell replied. There was a familiar blue flash as Daniel and Vala were beamed away, then Jack turned and began to fly steadily towards the _Daedalus_.

'Did anyone else notice how… snug they looked?' Jack asked with a smirk.

* * *

Daniel's thoughts were jumbled and incoherent as the darkness that had surrounded him was driven out by a brilliant white light. When he opened his eye lids he squinted instinctively at the bright lights of his surroundings until they finally adjusted.

He recognised the interior design of an Earth produced ship's med-bay. When he tried to sit up he felt fire in his blood as pain seared through him, every breath was torture but he was acutely aware that he was alive. With sluggish thoughts he tried to piece through what he could remember; finding Omega, defeating the Beast, kissing Vala. That last memory was powerful enough to break through the fog and he heard someone talking to him.

'Hey, take it easy.' Jack's familiar voice came from his bedside. 'The doctors are saying you went without oxygen for a few minutes, not to mention the fact that your immune system is in shock after the whammy the Beast put on you.'

'Why am I alive?' Daniel asked, noting that the IV drip in his arm accounted for his drowsiness. He hadn't mention the question to sound so blunt, but from the look on Jack's face that was how it came across.

'It was all Vala,' he replied, 'she figured the Ancient personal shield would protect you both from the explosion and cold of space, she was right.'

'That plan was crazy.'

'That's what I said, but it worked,' Jack responded, then looked at Daniel's position. '…Sort of.

'Where is she?' Daniel asked, and Jack pointed. Vala was lying in the bed beside him, hooked up to an IV as he was. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving.

Jack must have sensed his worry because he said. 'The doctors say she's going to be okay, but her injuries were more severe than yours.'

'Yeah.' Daniel remembered all too well the torture she'd suffered at the hands of the Beast, coupled with the lack of oxygen she had to be hurting. Daniel wished there was something he could do, but he knew she was in good hands.

'We're en route to home,' Jack explained, 'with most of the power drained it's going to take a while for the _Daedalus_ to get back to the Milky Way but we're about halfway through the journey.'

'And everyone's okay?'

'As well as can be expected. Shepherd's down with Carter and McKay in one of the labs, they're studying the Ignis. Teal'c, Ronon and Mitchell are getting some down time.'

Daniel thought of all of the people that didn't make it. Seria and her crew, Elizabeth, and his heart felt heavy. Without their sacrifice everything would have been destroyed.

'Listen, Daniel,' Jack began, looking around almost conspiratorially, 'you got the bad guy, right?'

The image of the Beast burning up in the lake of blue flashed into Daniel's mind. 'Yeah, he's gone. What happened to the infected?'

'All dead.' Jack answered, his mouth set in a grim line. 'But they died the moment the Beast got to them.'

'Yeah.' Daniel replied, looking again at Vala, her stillness a mirror of death, and suppressed a shiver.

'She'll be alright, Daniel.' Jack assured him with a pat on the arm.

'Yeah, I guess…' Daniel trailed off as the painkillers rushed through his system, bringing a fresh wave of nausea and drowsiness. His eye lids began to flutter, despite his will to stay awake.

'Good idea, get some rest.' Jack said, his voice sounding as if it echoed from a long distance, 'it's been a long day.'

* * *

The briefing was scheduled for 0900 hours. The _Daedalus_ had made orbit around the Earth sometime after midnight and both SG1 and the Atlantis team were given some time to rest before convening in the SGC briefing room.

Daniel hadn't spent a lot of that time resting, however. Vala had still not woken and despite the best efforts of Jack and Dr. Lam he refused to leave her side. Even now he wished he could be down there with her, finding it difficult to focus on the meeting when the woman who'd saved his life was lying comatose.

'I've read all of your reports and I have to say, you did well out there people,' Landry praised as he entered the room and took a seat at the head of the people, 'a lot of folks wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for you. Every one of you went above and beyond to avert this crisis.' Behind him Woolsey shifted uncomfortably. Daniel guessed his reaction had something to do with the IOA's reluctance to allow this mission in the first place.

'That being said, I'm more than a little apprehensive that this Beast character isn't as dead as we think, considering how long he's survived.'

'There's no question,' Daniel replied adamantly, 'The Ignis damaged him like nothing else we'd tried ever could.'

'You're sure?' Landry fixed his eyes on Daniel, who met them unwaveringly.

'Positive.' He confirmed. Landry seemed to mull that over before nodding.

'Also sir,' Sam added, 'myself and Dr. McKay have had a chance to study the device, it appears to work on a frequency that counteracts the Beast's own. Almost as if it was created to be his Achilles heel.'

'Did this… Omega say anything to that effect to you?' Landry's question was directed at Daniel.

'No,' he replied, 'to be honest I don't know why it was created or what for. I only know that it worked.'

'Well, I think - given what little we know about the device - that it should be taken to Area 51 for further study. Colonel Carter, Dr. McKay, you began this investigation, if you're happy to have it taken from your hands I'll despatch it immediately.'

McKay and Sam both gave their admission, and Daniel noticed McKay cast a sideling glance at Shepherd, but didn't understand it's meaning. 'I know you all must be tired,' Landry continued, 'but there is one more topic I want to cover; the Furlings.'

'You mean; can we expect to see any more of them?' Jack asked.

'Well?'

'I doubt it, sir.' Shepherd replied, 'They were xenophobic to begin with, and after revealing themselves to the galaxy after thousands of years their civilisation was almost entirely crushed.'

'We don't even know if they have any ships left that are capable of interstellar travel.' McKay added.

'That's not exactly good news,' Landry said, 'we seem to have far more enemies out there than allies.'

'I'm sure they'll be in contact if they feel the need,' Jack replied, 'judging by Seria and her crew they're good people. I wouldn't count them out entirely, but the ball's in their court.'

'Understood.' Landry nodded, then stood, 'I didn't want to keep you for long, I know you're all still tired. I assume they'll be a lot more to say on this subject in the coming days, I know the president wants to thank you all in person.'

'Ah, again.' Jack said airily, 'How many times have we saved the world now.'

'Well, we saved it a few times without you.' Sam reminded him as the group moved from the debriefing room.

'Yes.' Jack replied 'But never with the same sense of style, I feel.'

Their playful bickering continued up the hall, but Daniel had already disengaged from the group and was moving at speed towards the medical bay. He knew they all cared about Vala, but none of them including himself up until recently, knew how deep his own feelings ran.

He reached the bay quickly and greeted Dr. Lam with a nod, ignoring the look she gave him that suggested she thought he should be lying in one of these beds himself.

'Any change?' He asked, looking at the still, pale form of Vala lying on the medical cot.

'I'm afraid not.' Dr Lam replied. 'Her heartbeat is still regular, but she's showing some signs of shock from the ordeals she went through.'

'Isn't there anything you can-'

'Nothing more than the last time you asked me.' Dr. Lam interjected softly. 'I'm making her comfortable, but the rest of the healing process is up to Vala now.'

'Right.' Daniel allowed, and felt slightly defeated by the powerlessness. It was a feeling he had grown uncomfortably used to over the past couple of days.

As Dr. Lam continued to go about her work, Daniel dragged over a chair and sat by Vala's bed as he had done for the hours before the debriefing. He reached out with his fingers tentatively and brushed them against hers. She felt cold, and the imagery that brought into Daniel's mind was incredibly unwelcome.

His mind went back to the _Fragarach_, it seemed like a lifetime ago that Vala had helped him find his way out of the hellish mindscape of the Beast; all she had done was hold onto him. Why wasn't it working for Daniel now?

* * *

The Atlantis control room was teeming with activity, with teams still working to understand the hub of Ancient addresses that had been discovered, all of them certain that it would uncover the much sought out fountain of Ancient knowledge and wisdom that lay out there in the Pegasus galaxy.

As Shepherd watched the lights and displays of Atlantis, he felt certain that they'd already found that fountain here.

'Funny how thing's continue on as normal, isn't it?' Sam said as she came to stand next to him.

'Yeah.' Shepherd replied. They'd arrived back on Atlantis about three hours ago, and he could see on Sam's face that she was still concerned about Vala back on Earth, who still hadn't recovered from her coma. Shepherd knew all too well that responsibility and personal feelings were often at odds with each other in their line of work, and he sympathised.

'Did you get the gun back through okay?' Sam asked.

'Yeah,' Shepherd said, tapping his holster where the weapon was stored, 'when's he due to leave?'

'Now.' Sam answered, pointing to where Carson and McKay stood before the Gate, 'Give him all the best from me,' she continued, 'I'd do it myself but I'm beginning to realise the end of the universe adds up to a mountain of paperwork.'

Shepherd chuckled as she moved off, then headed down the stairway to join the two men who were sharing an awkward farewell handshake/embrace.

'Carson,' Shepherd called over, and shook the man's hand when he was in reach, 'you sure you want to go through with this?'

'This isn't my home,' Carson replied, 'it's close enough to almost fool me but…'

'I understand.' Shepherd nodded, 'But before you go I wanted to ask you; when your people arrived on Atlantis did you find a Jumper with some unusual abilities?'

'I don't think so.'

'Never met an age old Elizabeth stored in stasis?' McKay asked, thinking along the same lines as Shepherd.

'No, I think I'd remember.' Came Carson's bemused reply. 'What's this all about?'

'If we're right; then there's a Jumper capable of time travel sitting in the Jumper bay of your universe.' McKay explained, 'In our universe it was used to travel back and stop the Atlantis expedition from dying when the shield's failed underwater.'

'It's a long shot, but there's a chance that the time-ship still exists on your Atlantis, and with this,' He upholstered the weapon and handed it to Carson, 'you'll be able to go back and take out the Beast before he causes havoc over there.'

'Take out?' Carson asked with raised eyebrows, 'I'm not sure about your Carson Beckett, but I'm not a 'take out' kind of man.'

'Relax Carson, it'll be easy,' Shepherd replied easily, patting him on the shoulder, 'McKay's played with the gun-'

'Played?!' McKay exclaimed, sending icy stares Shepherd's way, 'I used the calibrations of the Ignis to reconfigure the firing crystal of the weapon to fire the exact frequency that would disable and kill the Beast in one shot!'

'You're sure?' Carson asked, gazing down at the weapon.

'As sure as I can be.' McKay answered.

'But, changing history. Isn't that dangerous?'

'Not in this case,' McKay explained, 'because we're not from the same universe, our timelines are intrinsically separated from each other and the only way we know of that they can be linked is by the Stargate. That means we have to remove all references to accessing your universe from the Gate.'

'Like I said, it's a long shot.' Shepherd said. 'You'll be trapped, and we haven't had a practical test of the gun, for obvious reasons.

Carson thought for a moment, finally he said. 'I'll take a long shot.'

'Alright,' Shepherd said, and called up to the Gate tech. 'Dial her up.'

When the shimmering portal was fully formed, Carson turned to both of them and shook their hands. 'Thank you.'

'Best way to thank us is by fixing you universe.' Shepherd commented. 'Good luck.'

And with that, Carson turned and moved through the event horizon, gone forever. Beside him, McKay began making preparations for removing all trace of the alternate dimension from Atlantis' databanks, but even as the Gate closed down, Shepherd stared towards it, hoping that Carson would succeed, that somewhere out there was a John Shepherd that was happily married, facing the universe with someone at his side.

'Are you okay John?' Teyla's voice brought him out of his reverie.

'Yeah, I'm fine.' He replied, taking one last look at the Gate before turning and walking beside her towards the stairs. He looked at her askance. 'Did I ever tell you about Ferris wheels?'

Teyla smiled, 'Yes John, many times.'

'Oh, that many, huh?'

* * *

Daniel couldn't concentrate on his work, and he rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses, looking away from the text in front of him.

If it wasn't thoughts of Vala still lying comatose in the infirmary that plagued his mind, it was the Beast's words about the human race and their lust for war that rang all too true, or the nagging curiosity about the race only known as the First, that had existed long before even the Ancients. He felt like he was drifting, unsure, powerless.

It had been three days since they had returned from Excalibur and SG1 were still off the active missions list. Daniel almost wished he could be out there, burying his mind in other problems than the same ones locked in continuous orbit, but he doubted his ability to do so.

When he slept - if he slept - his dreams were filled with images that left him cold, and he found himself reliving the moments of Sha're's capture as a Goa'uld host, and her death. He suppressed a shiver.

There was a knock at his office door, although he usually left it open, recently he'd been closing it, locking himself away in self-imposed exile. He'd seen Mitchell and Teal'c a few times over the past few days, but they seemed to understand that he needed his own space and busied themselves with other tasks, but he guessed it was one of them that was here now.

He reached the door handle and twisted it, barely paying attention as he swung open the door. 'Hey.' He said absent-mindedly, turning back towards his desk.

'Well, I must say I expected a warmer welcome than that.'

Daniel stopped, and his heart rose to his throat. Slowly he turned, afraid that he had finally cracked under the mental strained. But he hadn't, Vala stood in the hall, a hesitant smile on her face.

'Vala you're - how are you feeling?' Daniel asked, not sure of how to act. The moment they'd shared on Excalibur was strong, but they had both been facing death.

'Rather good, actually,' she replied and entered the office proper, as Daniel shut the door behind them he noticed Vala's step falter and rushed over to aid her from falling. He eyed her suspiciously.

'Fine, good was overstating the point somewhat.' She admitted.

'You should be resting.'

'You know that's exactly what Dr. Lam said, before she started quoting some medical directive from your planet - that woman really likes to talk when she gets going, not that she ever-'

'You saved my life.' Daniel interjected, and Vala stopped talking, looking him in the eyes.

'You saved mine.' She replied matter-of-factly. 'I always repay my debts.' She paused and smiled. 'Well, sometimes.'

Daniel returned the smile, and then they stood in silence for a few moments, the atmosphere around them was stifling, and eventually Daniel couldn't stand it any longer.

'I think we need to talk,' he began, choosing his words, 'about what happened back on Excalibur when we… when we kissed.'

Her expression changed, 'You kissed me,' she exclaimed, 'I was trying to get close enough to you for the shield to cover us both and then _you_ kissed _me_.'

'But I… we…' Daniel stammered, taken aback by her attitude.

A few seconds passed, and then her lips broke into a smile. 'I couldn't keep it up.' She took his hand gently, and Daniel felt it's familiarity. 'I'm messing with you.'

Daniel's heart jumped. 'You're… messing with me?'

She nodded, 'Couldn't help it. Sorry.'

'So, what does this mean?' he asked, surprised that he wasn't angry at her for playing with him.

'It means… I think it means that someday, maybe, we can act on this.'

Daniel nodded. Although it hurt, he'd had the same thoughts himself. 'The Ori are still out there, and countless other enemies we have to fight.'

'We can't fight them if we're worrying about each other so much.' Vala agreed, but didn't drop her hand from his.

'So, someday, right?'

'Right.' She replied, and pressed forwards gently until their bodies were touching, Daniel could feel her breath against his lips.

He didn't intend to, but he pushed forwards and their lips met gently, an affirmation of the promise; that once the battles were done there would be a chance to revisit this moment, these feelings. He still held her hand in his own, fingers intertwined, soon all reason would be lost.

But then they broke apart, and it was one of the hardest things Daniel had ever had to do. The few feet between them felt like it may as well have been a mile. But he understood.

'I should get back to the infirmary.' Vala said, and he saw a single tear glisten in her eye. She moved off without another word, glancing back to him before heading off down the hall.

Daniel stared after her and unbidden, something Seria had said to him sprang to mind.

_Existence sometimes has a design you may not be able to perceive right away._

For the second time, he hoped those words would prove true.

* * *

So that's it... for now. I've got a few ideas for some places to go to after this, but I'm not sure if I will. I hope you all enjoyed reading this story, let me know what you think.

Thanks again : D


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